Land & Skye: Living a Legend
by Gamerfan411
Summary: Mew's up to mischief and a boy finds out that being a pokemon, in a world of humans, isn't as great as it seems. Especially if you didn't mean to be transformed.
1. Wishful Thinking

**_Welcome to yet another one of my stories. Welcome... to Land & Skye. This is an original story based entirely in the 4th generation world of Pokemon. I'm sorry but due to my lack of experience and knowledge about anything to do with 5th generation pokemon, nothing from Pokemon Black or White will be appearing in this fan-fiction._**

**_This is a transformation story, but unlike my previous two, this is not based on the Mystery Dungeon games. Nonetheless, it does have connections to the previous story: Life in Flames. So I would advise reading Life in Flames first at the very least before starting into this story. Otherwise, a few plot-points might not make sense.  
><em>**

**_Please enjoy. Any and all feedback as I work on this will be appreciated._**

**_Disclaimer: This story and the main character are my own original ideas. I do not own the Pokemon franchise in any way, shape, or form and I have no affiliations with the company. They may sue me if they can find me, but I am sure I am not worth the effort._**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 1: Wishful Thinking

Kendel had recently moved into Sandgem Town with his family. The town was to the south, near the ocean in the Sinnoh region, and there was little in the way of activity.

The town was composed of a few varied buildings, half of which were devoted to services toward pokemon. There was a PokeMart, a Pokemon Center (where trainers could go to have pokemon healed), even a lab where studies were carried out.

He and his family hailed from Eterna City to the north. It wasn't that far of a journey to get to Sandgem, but unless you were a trainer, it could be a dangerous trip with several pokemon in the way.

Eterna City hadn't been that active of a location, but it had interesting locales, including an odd statue that was positioned atop a stand in the city.

The statue and the various trainers that passed through were the main two influences that gave Kendel an interest in pokemon.

The boy wasn't interested in being a trainer himself. Despite his nature, he was more interested in just pokemon, the creatures themselves and their natures, not commanding them.

Kendel was fifteen, almost sixteen years old and knew how to take care of himself. After several careful trips into forest the city was named after, no one could deny that Kendel could handle most situations by himself, even if he was young. He'd even dared to visit the Old Chateau, a long-abandoned, haunted manor inside but near the edge of the forest, on occasion. He visited it all alone no less.

There was little doubt: Kendel was a brave kid… some of the adults called him a troublemaker for his antics but he never caused any real mischief. He was simply being adventurous and exploring like many kids, both his age and younger.

He tended to wear a red shirt with blue jeans. A fairly generic fashion statement but Kendel didn't particularly care about that. He kept his brown hair (some would've argued it was a ruddy hue) fairly short and his rather tame blue eyes always belied his adventurous nature.

That adventurous streak was precisely what would be the end of him in Sandgem Town. He was sure of it.

He was bored out of his mind in the place.

There was very little to explore around the small town.

No haunted house, no forest, not even a small statue of any sort. Just small fields of grass to the north and west of town, and the beach to the south. The nearby trees were too closely packed together for him to go exploring in the woods nearby. The lake to the west was a little too far for his parent's comfort so they restricted him from visiting there. The local pokemon were small and quite uninteresting after only a day of observation.

Kendel was grateful whenever one of his parents decided they needed to visit to Jubilife City just north of Sandgem. That was the closest Kendel got to an interesting activity anymore.

When he had first seen the pokemon lab where Professor Rowan supposedly worked, he had tried paying a visit only to find the professor had gone on a trip. "Another one," according to one of his assistants. Rowan was, according to both scientists, rarely at home and was quite frequently abroad, studying.

It went without saying that Kendel was disappointed. He looked around the lab that first day a bit but saw very little that would keep him entertained or interested in the lab.

He hadn't reentered the lab ever since.

-0-

Thus, the boy was down at the beach this day, drawing in the sand. He wasn't sure what he was actually drawing, as his mind was too sidetracked on his utter boredom.

He wasn't much of a swimmer and even if he had been, there were plenty of pokemon out there that made a trip out on the water quite dangerous.

"Change of scenery… yeah… like the scenery back at Eterna was dull. Why'd they have to drag me down here? Even the square with that statue was more interesting than this place." Kendel said, mutterin sullenly to himself.

That was the main excuse his parents had made about the move down to Sandgem Town: a change of scenery. However, lower costs also had a hand in the decision. Kendel had overheard the discussion between his mom and dad.

Any way he looked at it, Kendel was stuck at dull, unassuming Sandgem.

"Ugh. I am _so… bored_." He groaned through his teeth. In frustration, he swiped at the sand, wiping away the doodling he had done with a stick.

He looked out at the sea before him.

_I swear… any pokemon would be having a better time than I would right now. I just want to get out of here. I want more freedom. I want to explore. _He thought, staring down the sweep of sand he'd left.

Kendel doubted he could get a proper trainer's license… He just couldn't be bothered to do the work required to get one. And besides that, being a trainer didn't feel like what he wanted to do with himself.

_It's just not what I'm cutout for._

He sat down on the sand and rested his arms across his knees. He then bowed his head and rested his forehead atop his arms. A position that was the statement of boredom coming from him.

He was tired of Sandgem. He wanted to go back to Eterna City... at least see something that might add some spice to his life.

He had been braving not just one or two days of boredom now. Not five days.

Kendel… had been bored out of his mind for _two weeks. _And it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon.

_I need to get out of here before I go mad. ANYwhere but here._ He thought desperately. He was considering pestering his parents about moving back to Eterna. Perhaps even he'd run off to the lake and stir up a little worry through that. He just wanted something interesting to happen.

Unexpectedly, he got his wish.

Kendel's exploration trips into the old haunted manor in Eterna forest had left him with a sharp sense for when he was being watched. It made it difficult for the ghost-pokemon within that run-down place to get the jump on him.

Kendel looked up as he felt right then, a sense of someone watching him.

He glanced around the beach… there were no people, no pokemon that he could see out in the sea or on the beach.

Then something lightly brushed the back of his neck.

Kendel quickly turned around and blinked in surprise when he found himself looking at a pink, furry face.

He knew immediately he was looking at a pokemon and quickly scooted away, turning around to face the one who had snuck up on him. His heart was immediately hammering as the pokemon in question had been mere centimeters from his face.

_Geez! Silent! I'm not even in tall grass here. I'm out in the open!_

The pokemon's silence was helped by the fact that it was hovering off the ground.

A once-over of the pokemon's appearance showed that it was a solid, bubblegum-pink in color. The pokemon looked like a small cat, with short forearms that had little hands and back legs with rather over-sized feet. It's long slender tail gently, slowly waved left and right, the end feathery in appearance. Its large, unblinking eyes were a somewhat hypnotic shade of violet or they might've been a bright blue, and they were staring at Kendel in a very curious manner. The color, its size (it would've fit in Kendel's arms easily), along with its triangular ears and other features, gave the pokemon an adorable appearance.

Kendel knew about a fair number of pokemon for his age but he'd never seen this one before. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm himself down. It hadn't attacked him after all… yet.

_Maybe it won't attack me… I was just sitting here after all._

It drew up to him, cocking its head wonderingly.

"Um… hello…" He said, blinking as he stared back at the pokemon. He didn't really expect an answer he would understand, but he was wondering what the cat was staring at so intently.

He watched as the little feline stared a little longer, then its gaze dropped and looked at his shirt, coming to a halt as it saw the remains of a small candy bar sticking out of his pocket. It dropped its head lower until its hindquarters were over its head. It was nearly hovering upside-down in a rather silly position.

Kendel noticed where the pokemon was looking and pulled out the candy. There wasn't much left. The boy tried to conserve whatever candy his mom would allow him to buy on visits to Jubilife. They lived on a tight wallet.

"Uh, you want some?" He asked, a little uncertainly, holding it up for the pokemon to see more clearly, which had straightened up so it was up-right again. He wasn't really sure if it was safe for the pokemon to eat this but it didn't seem repulsed by the sweet. It blinked, staring at the candy.

"Mew?" it chirped, in a small, soft voice. Judging from its expression and the tone of its voice, it might've been saying, "_Can I?_" or something along those lines.

Kendel's heart jumped as he realized the pokemon he was looking at. Being that pokemon usually spoke little but their name, this pokemon was obviously Mew.

_No way… Mew? The legend… the pokemon that almost no one sees?_

He had heard of Mew, however he hadn't expected it to look like this. The various charactures he'd seen couldn't describe the pokemon's very presence. In fact, he could've easily stated that many of them didn't do the pokemon's actual appearance justice.

The human immediately took a bit of the candy and gingerly held it out to the little cat. His hand was trembling now with excitement. He was praying it wouldn't fly away.

Mew hovered closer to his hand, inspecting the bit of food and it set a hand on the candy. Kendel immediately released it and the pokemon looked at the candy briefly with curious eyes before it curled up into a fetal position and started to nibble away.

_I… I can't believe it. It's just hovered right up to me. I... I need a camera... anything to prove what I've seen!_

Unfortunately, he had no such tool on him and if he left to get one, he was sure the pokemon would fly off while he was away, never to be witnessed again.

He kept giving the little cat more pieces of candy as it finished one piece after another. He was trying to keep it around as long as possible. He didn't want it to leave. Not so soon.

As he handed the last of the candy bar to the pokemon, he sighed. He wasn't looking forward to when it decided to move on.

"Man… this… is just awesome… _you_ are just awesome..." Kendel murmured, looking at the little pokemon's figure. At the soft, fine hairs that coated every inch of its body. How it hovered off the ground silently. It seemed so graceful, even just doing little at all.

"I really wish I could be like you. Just free… no worries… you've got it so much more than I do." he said quietly, a faint, amazed, and somewhat jealous smile on his face.

Mew seemed to be listening and understood him, because it looked up when he said this and blinked at him, as if to say "_Really?_"

It took a moment to pack the remainder of the candy in its mouth and swallow, not taking its eyes off of him the whole time. Mew then uncurled from its position in-air and drew up to Kendel again.

"Hey… I don't have any left, sorry." The boy said quickly, leaning back as the little cat hovered up to him once more.

For some reason, he was no longer so happy to see Mew. In fact, Kendel was feeling a sense of foreboding. He was suddenly rather scared, and his heart pounded in his chest, seemingly aware of danger on the rise.

Mew didn't respond to this but continued to hover closer to his face, until they were almost nose-to-nose. The boy struggled to think of something to say but he didn't manage to open his mouth before Mew reached up and gently set one hand on Kendel's forehead.

It felt like he had received a rather hard push to that precise point on his head and there was a _whoosh_ as everything blurred and vanished. The boy was suddenly alone in a completely blank space of darkness.

"What-? Where-?" He stammered, confusion promptly setting in.

He looked around, trying to determine where he had been sent.

"Where the heck am I?" He finally yelled.

Someone giggled in response to his outcry. It was a rather cute laugh, like a child's. Whoever was giggling might've been anywhere from six to eight years old.

"This is a psychic link, silly! I haven't moved you anywhere."

The voice was definitely a child's and the same as the one who had been giggling.

Kendel looked around for who was speaking and his eyes fell on Mew who seemed to have come out of nowhere. The pokemon was partially curled up, its hands up over its mouth and its eyes shut. It was shaking with laughter, something that only made it appear even cuter.

"Wait… you- you didn't just-" Kendel started.

"What? Speak?" Mew spoke, though his mouth didn't move, "I'm connected directly to your mind. Of course you can understand me. I swear, you're one of the sillier humans I've met." it spoke as if this were the most obvious thing ever.

Kendel blinked, stunned. He hadn't seen its mouth move, but some part of his brain knew it was the cat that was speaking to him.

_Mew… it's actually talking to me? What?** What?**_

Before Kendel could descend into madness over this revelation, Mew continued, barging in on his thoughts.

"So you wanna know what it's like to be me, huh? I'm kinda bored myself so I've got a perfect game in mind for this." Mew said, sounding excited. He spoke rather quickly, sounding like a child in many ways.

"Game?" Kendel echoed. His mind had gone blank and he didn't completely comprehend what he was hearing.

"Yep! I think it'll be a lot of fun. C'mon, I wanna play!" Mew rolled over in air, so his belly was face-up and he was staring longingly at Kendel upside-down, "Pleeease?"

"Uh… sure… a game's fun." Kendel said lamely. Had his mind been more awake, he might've realized what was coming next as a result of his answer.

"Yay!" Mew cheered as soon as the word "sure" had been spoken. The pokemon rolled up right again and bobbed up and down in excitement.

"Okay, the rules are simple enough: It's Tag! I won't make it easy for you though!" Mew finished on a teasing note, like he was hiding a great surprise for Kendel. The pokemon then turned and started to fly away. He abruptly stopped though and turned around again.

"Oh yeah! By the way, you better make sure _you_ don't get caught or you'll never catch me!" Mew called over to him.

"Wait. What? Wait a minute!" Kendel yelled after Mew and started to chase after the cat. However, it quickly vanished from sight.

"_Wait_!" Kendel yelled again but to no avail. Mew was gone.

Then suddenly a lot of petals the same shade of pink as the cat started to rain down around Kendel. He shook his head, the petals tickling and irritating him.

Trying to get away, the boy ran forward through the blank darkness, waving his arms around to get the petals to go away.

His foot fell into something and he found he couldn't lift it. He looked down to find himself standing in the center of a massive, crimson flower with yellow markings upon it. His foot was entangled in vines, holding him down.

Then the flower closed up around him, like it was eating him.

The human promptly screamed and tried to punch the petals of the flower, trying to force to open up and release him. However, he soon found his movements slowing and becoming more restrained. He was being enveloped in vines and plant-matter.

_I don't wanna die!_

"Help!" he cried, his voice getting choked and then stopped as he was encased in a cocoon of leaves and flowers. It didn't seem assistance was forthcoming. he was alone. Unconsciousness soon claimed him as he was deprived of air.


	2. Grass in the Sand

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 2: Grass in the Sand

Kendel woke up to find he was still on the beach. He was alive, lying on his stomach, spread-eagled across the sand with his chin resting on the ground.

He groggily blinked awake and looked around without moving. He didn't feel like moving at the moment.

_Ugh… what did Mew do to me again? He was talking… directly to my mind?_

He wasn't entirely sure as his body felt a little sore, like he been put on a rack, where some torturer had attempted to lengthen him and given up after only a little effort. After a minute, he put what he thought were his hands under him and pushed himself up off the sand.

To his surprise, his head didn't go that far up off the sand.

_Huh? Did I shrink?_

Kendel felt sure that even on his hands and knees, he should've been taller than this. He shook his head, wondering if his head was just fuzzy from the contact with Mew.

He reopened his eyes as he looked down and saw his hands… or rather his feet.

Kendel yelped and looked at what were not human hands, but a pair of little feet that were as white as the purest snow.

"Wha- Wha-?" He couldn't seem to get the words out and in his surprise, he tried to stand up, ending up sitting on his rear instead. In this position, he was able to get a much better look at himself and was in a state of shock at what he saw.

He wasn't human anymore, he was sure of that much.

At first he thought his entire body was the same snowy-white as his front feet. His belly, his legs (all four of them), and his head. A pure white. He didn't have any clothes in this state so he was quite exposed. However, he got a look at his back and could see grass growing from him. Growing out of his back. Having no clothes on was immediately the least of his concerns.

He screamed.

The first thought that had crossed his mind was what had seemed like a dream where he was eaten by a plant. Now he had woken up… to find plants growing _out_ of him. He was immediately thinking the grass was sucking him dry. The plants hadn't eaten him, but he was going to be shriveled up by them.

In his panic, he ended up flopping over on his back, yowling and continuing to yell in his panic. He tried flattening the soft blades of grass on his back under him but the sand was of little use in this effort.

"Help!" he screamed, "I'm gonna be sucked dry! Get this off me!"

To anyone watching, it might've been a rather amusing sight but Kendel's panic was quite genuine and after a few minutes of (admittedly) just wriggling in the sand, he finally stopped trying to flatten the grass on him, too exhausted to keep it up. He was already mentally making peace with himself and the powers-that-be.

However, as he laid there, nothing happened. He didn't feel anything happening to him and he was sure with so much grass on him, he would've been drained in seconds. It finally occurred to him that the grass wasn't going to harm him, even if it was sprouting from him.

_Okay… I need to think… what's happened to me? Why am I like this now?_

It didn't take long for him to figure that Mew must have done this to him. How, was beyond him but he reaffirmed in his mind that he wasn't human anymore. He didn't have hands, he was on four-legs, and normal people most _certainly_ didn't have grass growing out of them like a pot.

He looked down at his belly, which was face-up, exposed to the sun and found his head could bend inwards towards his chest to a remarkable degree. His nose could actually almost touch his chest now.

He felt uncomfortably exposed and vulnerable though, being on his back and started trying to figure out how to get on his feet again. He quickly found sitting up to be quite ineffective. He was still on his back a couple of minutes later and out of breath on top of that.

Then he heard someone talking and turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. There was a human boy from town, his gaze transfixed with curiosity and some wonder at Kendel. Almost as soon as Kendel saw him, the boy turned and ran back into the town, yelling about an interesting pokemon on the beach.

Dread immediately flooded into Kendel.

_I _hope_ I'm not a pokemon or…_

He didn't complete the thought as he didn't want to think of what would happen if more people came under these circumstances.

He was aware that boy could've been jumping to a hasty conclusion but given his size and that fact that he couldn't deny he wasn't human anymore, he had a feeling the boy was probably right.

Looking at his four legs, he was reminded of a dog and realized the problem with trying to get up.

_To get up, I'm going to have to roll over. I can't sit up._

So, with a bit of effort, he threw his legs to the side, and his body followed in that direction. His back lifted off the ground and all four legs set down in the sand. He took a second to reorient himself and then looked around quickly. As much as he wanted to look to a human being for help, he instinctively knew hiding from the crowd that was likely coming would be ideal.

The beach however, had little in the way of hiding places, even for something so small. He could try hiding behind a decent-sized boulder in the sand but he was sure that at least one person would go searching the beach.

That left him with only the woods around the beach.

He set his sights upon going into a gap in the trees big enough for him to fit through, just as a few more boys, including the one who had spotted him, came around the curtain of trees that separated the town from the coast.

"There! There it is! Quick! Someone, catch it!" one of the boys yelled.

"_Oh. Crap!_" Kendel said between his teeth and ran for the trees. The small swarm of kids stampeded for him at the same time.

Kendel sprinted for all he was worth. His new, short legs were no help and he was not used to walking with four legs, much less running for dear life.

He stumbled once but quickly regained his balance (which was little trouble being on four legs) and resumed the sprint, trying to get used to his legs quickly.

One of the boys attempted a diving grab and Kendel yelped in terror as he ran away from the boy, trying to keep his general direction going towards the trees. The boy skidded across the sand, missing him completely and the others yelled.

"It's getting away!" "Stop it!" "Quick!"

"Help!" Kendel yelled once more, drawing it out into a panicking yell.

He kept up his charge for the trees as the boys half-tripped over each other trying to catch him and failing to even stay on their feet.

One particularly long-legged boy from the group burst out of the tangle though and sprinted after him.

It was merely a couple more feet before Kendel would be in among the trees, but with his short legs, Kendel felt like he was competing against a professional athlete in a 100-meter dash. He ran as fast as he could manage though.

The boy jumped and dove at him, trying to grab him and lift him off the ground before he could get away.

The boy's hands fell on Kendel's back and he scrambled in the sand. The boy's hands started to reach under him to lift him off the ground. For two seconds of intense panic, Kendel thought he was caught.

However, his struggles prevented the human boy from getting a firmer grip. He slipped out of the boy's hands and shot the remaining distance into the trees. He heard a grunt of "Nuts!" behind him.

He ran a few more feet into the trees before coming to halt, panting hard, completely out of breath.

He could still hear the human boys outside the trees on the beach.

"Aw man, you almost had it Jake."

"What kind of pokemon was that anyways? I don't think I've seen one like that around here."

He heard other murmurs of disappointment and some confusion.

After a few more minutes as Kendel let his heart slow down and stop pounding, he considered the question the boy out there had raised.

_What am I? If I'm a pokemon… what species is this?_

He looked himself over once more, hoping for an indication of what he was.

However, he couldn't see anything that he had seen on a pokemon before. He couldn't remember seeing any pokemon with such white skin. He also noticed what was clearly a flower near his left ear. It was red from what little he could see.

_Well… I guess judging from the grass and this flower on me, I must be grass-type. But I don't think a Budew looks like this. I'd be on two legs if I was._

Kendel found that he had no idea of what he was. He hadn't ever seen a pokemon like himself.

However, he couldn't think of what else he could be. A pokemon seemed like the only possibility. He couldn't hold back a depressed sigh.

_Ugh… man, why me?_

He looked around, his heart still slowing down from his sprint as he assessed his surroundings.

There was not much to be seen around the trees and he found he didn't feel all that comfortable in the trees. He felt safer than when he had been out in the open but the trees just seemed a little too imposing to him. Too big.

He could hear the boys moodily making their way back to town, disappointed that they had failed to capture him.

Kendel though, he just wanted to go to sleep now and hopefully, he would wake up to just find this to be some weird nightmare.

Exhausted and tired, he looked around as he went through the woods. He finally found a patch of ground where some light was getting through the trees.

_Well, if I'm grass-type, I suppose sleeping in the sunlight shouldn't hurt. If this is a dream, I'm just going to play along and I'll wake up soon enough._

He walked over to the spot and looked around as the light shined across him. The light and the warmth felt good on him.

He yawned and then let his body just collapse onto the patch of ground.

After a minute, he found he just didn't feel comfortable so he shifted around a bit.

His final position was somewhat curled up, his head tucked under his body. He basically had balled himself up until his underbelly and anything white was hidden. To on-lookers, he now looked like a somewhat conspicuous mound of grass. However, he blended in enough that no human would think he was a living creature unless they took a good, close look.

Once he had found this position and that it felt oddly comfortable to him (it was certainly warm), Kendel closed his eyes and dropped off to sleep in minutes.


	3. The Name for One's Self

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 3: The Name of One's Self

Kendel was still human in his dreams, though as he drifted through the blank dreamscape, he was hoping to wake up human again.

"Nope. You're not dreaming."

Kendel looked around, as he recognized that childish voice already.

As much as he tried to deny it, he had been transformed and it was that cat's fault.

"Alright Mew! Where you are?" Kendel yelled when he couldn't spot the feline, "Turn me back, _now_!"

Mew appeared literally out of nowhere in the blank space of the dream.

"Sorry, I can't." Mew said, shaking its head.

"You turned me into this… this _thing_, you can turn me back to how I was. Now change me back!"

Mew flew right up into his face. Kendel tried to reach up and grab Mew but his arms wouldn't respond to what he wanted them to do.

"I told you: I can't. I'm not lying. I _can't_ turn you back. Not right now." Mew said, staring him eye-to-eye, then hovered back, the feathery tail trailing after him, "Besides, you're the one who asked for this."

"No, I didn't!" Kendel retorted, trying to chase after Mew but for some reason, his dream-self was frozen in place.

"Oh? Did I mishear you then when you said you wished you were like me?" Mew said, sounding genuinely innocent. He even had one of his little hands over his mouth like he had said something wrong by accident.

"I'm not like you in this state! I can't fly! I can barely walk! And I _did not_ wish for this!" Kendel said, his temper short and getting the better of him.

Mew cocked his head, looking Kendel over.

"You _are_ like me." Mew said simply after a moment, "You're a pokemon. You are one of a kind. You're free. You can actually do several things I can't though it works the other way around too. All the same though, I'd say you're like me."

Kendel ground his teeth, irritated.

"I don't even know _what_ the heck I am." He growled, "I'm not like you. I don't look like you. I'll say it again: _I didn't wish for this_!"

Mew laughed at this. His cute, child-like laugh. To anyone else, it would've been adorable. To Kendel at the moment though, it only further annoyed him.

"Oh! You were expecting me to turn you into another one of me?" Mew laughed again, apparently finding this hilarious, "I perfer to be one-of-a-kind as I am and there's already one clone of me out in the world. I don't need another."

"That's. _Not_. What I mean." Kendel said tensely, about ready to try and break free of whatever was holding him still and try to punch the obnoxious cat hovering before him.

"You wanted to be like me. Your exact words were even 'I really wish I could be like you.' I was nice enough to grant your wish, even if you don't realize I followed it to the absolute best of my ability. I'm pretty sure I didn't mishear you. Now, you're stuck like this until our game ends."

"I-I didn't think you'd actually turn me into a pokemon though. I didn't mean it-" Kendel argued again.

Mew giggled, shaking his head and cutting the human off.

"You really are one of the sillier humans I've met. If you didn't mean it, then why'd you say it? Sure, you didn't know I could actually grant the wish, but it sounded to me like you were serious. I could even see it in your eyes. You really wanted that wish." Mew said, his voice still child-like but the way he was talking, he somehow no longer sounded like a child.

"I… I…" Kendel was struck dumb as he was entangled in his own logic. In the back of his mind, he realized he _had_ meant that wish, though not in the way Mew had apparently translated it.

"Like I said," Mew continued calmly, flying up to him again, "I granted your wish. You're every bit like me now. Free, as in unbound and subservient to no one. As care-free as I, myself am. And I've even made you a pokemon with some abilities I don't have, and _that's_ saying something. There's nothing for you to complain about." The cat said in a satisfied tone.

Kendel blinked, confused now. He started to speak up again but Mew cut him off.

"If you want know what those abilities are, you're just going to have to find out yourself 'cause I'm not going to spoil it for you. As for _what_ you are, listen around your little town when you wake up, I'm sure you can find something out. Find me around Sinnoh and see if you can catch me, then I'll turn you back if you want your human self back so badly. I've left a little connection between us so I can contact you from anywhere on Sinnoh if needed; in fact, I'm using it now. If you can't catch me though, you're gonna be like that for the _rest of your life_." Mew giggled once more, "You really _are_ silly. Making a wish and then wanting it taken back as soon as it's granted. I just find that so funny!"

Mew then vanished from sight, his laughter echoing in Kendel's ears.

"Hold on!" Kendel yelled belatedly. He was already alone though.

Mew hadn't answered the question he had wanted to ask. Now he couldn't ask it and he was stuck admitting to himself, that he had made a wish he was now sorely regretting.

-o-

Kendel woke up the next morning to find himself in his curled up position. He wasn't in the sunlight anymore so he felt cool, but not uncomfortably so.

He uncurled and looked himself over again, a glum expression on his face. He was still a pokemon. After the lecture Mew had given him, he had to grudgingly accept the facts. What pokemon he was… he still hadn't any idea and Mew in his dream hadn't told him, only given him a hint for finding out. He decided to get that out of the way first. Knowing what he was would likely help him with making use of whatever natural abilities he had.

He faced forward and immediately yelped in surprise. There was a large, brown, chubby mouse before him with buck-teeth. A Bidoof.

"Hello there. Who might you be?" it said, sounding genuinely friendly. However, Kendel was freaked out and stumbled back.

_It- it talked to me! Pokemon can't talk! Mew was one thing but this is outside my mind!_

The Bidoof blinked, a little puzzled by the grass-type's frightened stare and brought a paw up and patted his nose, feeling for something on his face.

"Somethin' wrong?" The Bidoof said when it didn't find anything.

"Ahhhh… ah, nothing. Nothing." Kendel managed to say, somewhat tensely. Truthfully, he was in a mild state of shock. There was a measure of relief that the pokemon at least wasn't aggressive or he would've been positively frozen in terror.

"So then, what yer name?" the Bidoof continued on, trying to be affable towards the stranger.

"I… um… I need to go. Busy." Kendel said, just as tense as before and hurried away before the Bidoof could say anything more.

Once he was sure he was alone again, Kendel gauged his breathing, trying to calm himself.

_Okay, first Mew… now other pokemon are talking too? Am I going mad?_

He shook his head. He then shut his eyes, and tried to straighten out his mind. It was nothing but a mess at the moment.

_Pokemon talking... there has to be an explanation… Mew's was the first one… that was from mental contact. Maybe he gave me some way to hear what they say in English or something?_

However, he had no way of confirming that. He looked around, wary for more pokemon that might try talking to him.

He actually noticed other pokemon out in the grass field going about their business. Some were talking with others.

_Wait… I've been turned into a pokemon… maybe… it's simply because I'm one myself that I understand them._

There wasn't any other explanation for it. Then he heard human voices from town and he walked the short distance to get a view of town from the trees.

He could overhear a couple of the conversations going on between the town residents. One of the closest conversations to his hiding place was between a couple of ladies, both moms around town. His mind attempted to side-track itself on wondering about his own mom, but he kept himself focused on what he was listening to.

"I swear, that boy is nothing but trouble. He could've gotten himself hurt yesterday."

"Oh yes. They look forward to being trainers so much they forget pokemon aren't toys. I punished Jake yesterday for going off on that wild goose chase for a pokemon yesterday. The creature could've hurt any of them if it hadn't decided to run instead."

The conversation continued while Kendel took in those words.

It was obvious the two were talking about the hi-jinx he had gotten into yesterday with that crowd of boys trying to catch him. Now that it was pointed out, he was realizing that had he known how to, he probably could've defended himself. He was actually considered dangerous.

However, the thought of hurting someone on purpose like that, even in self-defense sickened Kendel a bit. He didn't want to harm someone like that. The thought of hurting any of the other boys around town made him feel like he was just some monster to be feared.

He shook his head, discarding these unpleasant thoughts and decided to go listen in on another conversation.

He noticed as he went around the outskirts of Sandgem, the boy who had spotted him first yesterday was sneaking towards the lab. Kendel had seen that kind of behavior before… whenever he had been going to the Chateau against the orders of his parents. The kid was clearly in trouble as well and was trying to get to the lab without being caught outside by his parents or some other grown-up. The boy soon slipped inside the lab.

This activity got Kendel's attention and he looked around briefly for anyone watching and, when he saw that no other humans seemed to be watching the lab, he darted out of the trees and went up to a corner of the building, where he pressed himself up against the side of the building, trying to keep out of sight the best he could. He had heard from the other boys while he was human himself that the scientists inside often discussed things inside near this wall. Thus it made the best spot to eavesdrop on what they were talking about.

Before, Kendel hadn't made use of this information, as he had already tried visiting the lab and found nothing of interest inside. Why would he be interested in what they had to talk about?

But now, he had a shrewd guess what the boy was going to the lab for and if he was right, then the information would be useful for him to know. Going inside though would certainly get him caught so he had to stay outside.

He pressed the side of his head against the wall, listening. It was hard to hear and he had to concentrate, but he barely picked up the conversation inside.

"Mister… I was wondering, could you help me with a pokemon I saw? I _really_ want to know what I saw."

"Is this about that one you were chasing yesterday?" The scientist inside laughed and Kendel could imagine the boy was looking a little guilty, "Well, sure I can help. What did it look like?" It sounded like the scientist was honestly happy to help someone identify a pokemon.

The boy had apparently gotten a rather good look at Kendel because he proceeded to describe his appearance in rather fine detail. To the disappointment of the boy and the pokemon listening outside the lab though, the scientist found himself stumped.

"Hmmm… I think I've heard of that one… but I can't remember what it's called. I know Professor Oak mentioned that one to Professor Rowan once. A friend of their or someone came across one…"

_Aw, c'mon. So close…_ Kendel held in an exasperated groan.

"Hm. Perhaps it's in the Pokedex. Just a minute…" the scientist said.

Kendel was tense, waiting to hear what pokemon he was exactly, as a result, he wasn't paying full attention to his other senses. He heard someone step incorrectly behind him, making more noise than they intended and that got Kendel's attention immediately. But not soon enough.

He yelped as he saw the other scientist from the lab directly behind him. He couldn't move fast enough and the human managed to drop a glass container over him with one hasty move. The container was akin to an aquarium that one might've kept fish in and he had no hope of worming his way out of it.

_Ack! I'm dead! I'm __**so**__ dead!_

Kendel charged at one wall, trying to break through the glass in his desperation to escape, but his head simply bounced off the glass with a dull _thump._ It was tempered to hold various smaller species of pokemon, and that included Kendel as he was.

"Easy, little guy… I'm not going to hurt you…" the lady-scientist told him gently. He didn't pay any attention though. He was remembering that Mew had warned him not to get caught or he'd never get a chance to catch the feline.

_I'm gonna be stuck like this for the rest of my life!_ Kendel's heart was pounding in terror at the prospect of that.

The scientist meanwhile was grabbing the glass lid to the container and she carefully slipped it under the lip of the container and started trying to slide it under Kendel. Unfortunately, as much as he resisted, in the end he had no choice but to step onto the lid and she closed the container. She then slowly and carefully flipped the container over, allowing her little captive to move so he didn't get hurt in the motion. Kendel was forced to cooperate or get rolled on his back as the floor became the wall, and then the ceiling, the floor. When she was done, she removed the lid and he was stuck in the bottom of the container without any hope of escape.

The scientist then calmly took him inside the lab.

"Found this one outside. He seemed to be asleep or something. If he _was_ asleep, I woke him up by accident and managed to contain him." She said, sounding a little amused.

"Hey! That's the one I saw yesterday!" the boy immediately exclaimed, pointing at him. Kendel felt like shriveling up and dying right there and then. Escaped a crowd of boys... only to get captured so easily by one person with a glass box. All due to a lapse in his own attention.

"Luckily, I was out there releasing one of the other pokemon we had around the lab, so I had this container handy." The scientist said, with a kind smile as the visiting child walked up and got a closer look at the pokemon.

The other scientist came out from a room in the back with a small red device in his hand. He blinked in surprise when he saw the pokemon in the cage. He then quickly opened up the small machine in his hand and briskly fiddled with it for a minute or two.

Kendel's mind was distracted from his current situation by a curiosity for the device.

_What is that? And why didn't I notice it the first time I visited here when I was human?_

"Ah, here it is!" the man cheered and turned his hand around to show the Pokedex to the others.

Kendel stared at the small display screen on the device along with the two humans, where there was pictured a pokemon that was undeniably, the same thing he was.

"Shaymin." The scientists both said at once, naming what he was. The visiting boy just continued staring in some awe.

Kendel sighed and laid down, resigned to his fate.

_All that work to find out what I am… and now I'm trapped…_ He curled up and tried to forget everything. All he wanted to do now, was cry.

###

**_This would be one very short story if it ended here. Which is why I assure you: it doesn't _****_end here._**


	4. Visitors to the Lab

**_As usual, I'm unsure about the quality of my work. Nonetheless, I'm hoping this is a good chapter._**

**_Enjoy._**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 4: Visitors of the Lab

Kendel spent the next several hours, simply lying in his small, glass prison, convinced he was stuck as this pokemon, known as a Shaymin for the rest of his life. The visiting boy left, only to find one of his parents waiting, much to his dismay.

What Kendel hated most was that he was to blame for getting himself into this situation in the first place. Mew had made a very good point to him that he had made a wish and the feline had seen through him with disturbing ease.

_The only fault of Mew's was misinterpreting what I meant. I really didn't mean being transformed…_

However, there was no changing that now. He was stuck in this unfamiliar body, with no way to tell any human anything.

The only other thing he could do, trapped as he was, was listen to the conversation around him.

He had been carried and set down on a table in the back room of the lab. Various items had been set in and around the cage so that he couldn't just knock it over by ramming the walls, nor could he use anything inside the cage to get out. The room was more like a living space than a laboratory room. The scientists, trying to make him as comfortable as they could whilst keeping him indoors, had set him near a window, in the sunlight.

From outside, in the lab zone, when he had first seen the room, Kendel hadn't been interested. As a human, he had taken one look and thought this place held nothing of interest.

Now that he was stuck in it though, he was noticing several bits of technology that someone, perhaps the Professor himself, had apparently been fiddling with and constructing. There were also books piled up on the table and other things for Kendel to observe and watch.

A point of discussion that the scientists seemed to be focused on was why Kendel was around Sandgem, which he couldn't help hearing them discuss as they talked while sitting or standing around him.

"What's a pokemon like a Shaymin doing around here? Don't they live more around Floaroma Town? Or more towards the League?"

Kendel knew a little about Floaroma. It was one of two human settlements between Sandgem and Eterna City. The other was Jubilife City. The League they spoke of, Kendel could only assume was the Pokemon League. Almost anyone knew about the existence of the Pokemon League.

"Maybe this one got lost? Or perhaps it was looking for something?" the other theorized.

_Wish I could just tell them… but even if I could… I think it would freak them out. Maybe they'd want to do tests on me too… _He thought as they continued to raise theories and discuss them.

Kendel shivered. He didn't like the idea of being experimented upon. He was reminded too much of visits to a doctor and needles being stuck into him.

However, these two never did anything of the sort to him. Occasionally, one of the scientists would walk over to his little cage and look at him, inspecting him. He simply turned away and curled up in response to this. Other than that though, they did not bother him.

Being so much smaller than these scientists just unnerved him. At one point, he felt a scientist's hand gently touch his back, lightly scratching him in a friendly motion. It felt nice, but he tried to reject the feeling and shook himself, making the human stop.

A day passed and he slept in the glass cage, alone.

-0-

The next day, the scientists returned and checked on him. They were quite concerned when they saw him in his depressed state.

"We probably shouldn't hold on to a pokemon like this too long…" the male scientist commented. Kendel heard that and looked up, hope flaring at those words.

_They're not going to keep me here?_

Release. That was the one spark of hope in his mind.

_If I'm released, then I've got a chance. I can still go and try to hunt down Mew._

"I agree… the poor thing's not doing well and containing him like this is probably why. I really think it's just lost and was trying find its way back home." The other said, sounding very sorry for the pokemon between them, "Let's hold on one more day, then we'll let him loose tomorrow."

The former human had to restrain himself to keep from whooping excitedly.

_One more day and I'll be able to actually get out of here!_

The two lab-workers turned to him again and sat down in chairs. They had decided in the meantime to study him and finish as many notes as they could about him. Since there was nothing he could do to speed this up, Kendel just settled back down and waited for the time when they'd set him free.

-o-

Some hours later, Kendel was considering where he would go first when he was released. He only really had two options: the lake to the west or Jubilife to the north. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed something going on through the window. He couldn't hear anything due to the glass in the way… however, a face peered into the window once or twice, eyeing him. When one of the scientists walked into the room, the person at the window immediately ran off.

The former human got decidedly nervous. He'd seen burglars before… fortunately, none had broken into his house. However, that face definitely indicated a thief. And he didn't like how the fellow had been eyeing him. Like he was a priceless art-piece.

For the second time, Kendel found himself wishing he could just tell the scientists what he wanted to say, directly. He was sure the man out there was plotting to break-in. Break-in and steal him.

_If that happens… I'm definitely not going to be released. If I'm as rare as I understand I'm supposed to be…_

Kendel had heard a fair bit about Shaymin as a species by this point and he knew for sure now that they weren't common. Far from it. Mew had also indicated he had transformed him into a rare species.

_I'm a living thing. Human or not, I'm not property._

However, he was sure that wasn't how the burglar would see him, if indeed the man broke into the lab to pilfer him and the cage he was in. The thought scared him and he found himself quite unsettled.

-o-

It was when another visitor came into the lab that Kendel put aside his fears. He was trying to take an uneasy nap, afraid to go to sleep due to the thoughts haunting his mind, when he heard the lab door open. Insomnia gripping him as it was, he decided to focus himself on listening to whoever had come in.

"Excuse me… but, have either of you seen my son around town or at the beach lately?"

Kendel abruptly sat up, his drowsiness promptly abandoning him.

_Mom?_

He ran to one end of his cage and tried to look outside the room into the lab area. He was sure he'd recognize her voice anywhere.

He heard her again, explaining how Kendel had been missing for the last few days and how it was unlike him. She was clearly worried about him. He was sure now that his mom was visiting the lab, asking for any indications of his whereabouts.

He immediately started yelling for her, trying to get her attention. He didn't care that, by all logic, she wouldn't recognize him, nor would any of them understand him.

All three out in the lab heard the commotion and the scientists came running to see what was wrong. Even as they tried to calm him down, he continued to yell for her and finally, curious what was making the noise, his mother came into the doorway, a curious expression on her face.

She was a beautiful woman by just about any standards with a kind face and a gentle complexion. She wore an indigo, long-sleeve shirt with a skirt that was a lighter blue, which rather suited her age and her appearance. This was a person who seemed like she would be kind to even the lowest of beings.

Just seeing her again seemed to displace all the sorrow and grief occupying Kendel's mind. He was simply overjoyed to see her again and got up on his hind legs to put his front feet up on the glass that was stopping him from jumping right up into her arms like a pet.

At first, his mom's face was stretched with worry and concern. Kendel could see how his absence for the past few days had affected her, which soured his feelings of joy with some shame at having worried her so much.

Upon seeing him, his mom blinked and a faint smile appeared as she found the small pokemon cute and the joyful reaction to seeing her was somewhat charming.

"Oh… what is this?" she asked politely, addressing the scientists, who were intrigued by the Shaymin's reactions to their visitor.

After getting over the slight awkwardness of the moment, they explained about the nature of Shaymin the best they could to Kendel's mother, who approached the small, glass cage, gazing at the pokemon with a sense of wonder and some cheer at the adorable appearance.

"May I… touch it?" she asked uncertainly, clearly concerned that the pokemon might bite or something if she tried. The two lab assistants exchanged uncertain glances.  
>"Well… this one seems to be pretty tame so I think it should be safe…" the man finally answered, "Just be careful."<p>

Kendel's heart sped up, not with fear for the first time since his transformation, but with giddiness. If he had had a tail, it would've been flying back and forth energetically.

Cautiously, she reached down into the cage and somewhat hesitantly attempted to stroke Kendel alongside his head. He stood still as she did so, and gently leaned into her fingers as she touched him.

All the stress of the past couple of days fell away in seconds. He was happy to experience his mom's gentle touch again, even if she didn't realize who she was really looking at. He dearly wished he could tell her… but that was impossible. Even if he wrote a message, there would be doubts and questions.

Nonetheless, that didn't matter to Kendel. It was like he was home again. Home and human.

His mom laughed gently, happy to find the pokemon seemed to like her… which he did and more. More than she would ever suspect.

Finally, the moment had to end. As she gently pulled her hand away, Kendel's heart ached in that moment of separation and he wished the moment of being with his mom again didn't have to conclude. But he dropped his front legs down from the glass and continued to look up at the lady before him, outside the cage.

He was so lost in his thoughts that Kendel was startled slightly when the male scientist reached in a few seconds later and tried to lightly pet his head. The man quickly withdrew his hand with an apologetic look when the little pokemon jumped.

"Anyways, as I was saying," Kendel's mother said, repeating her explanation for her visit, "Have either of you seen my son, Kendel around town or the beach? He's… been missing for a couple of days now and… well, I'm concerned about him." Her smile faded slightly as her worries returned.

"I'm sorry. We've been busy with work here at the lab and we haven't seen or heard about him lately either." The female scientist said with full sincerity.

"Hmm… well, thank you for your help. I suppose I'll keep asking." the visitor said sadly, then turned and started for the exit.

Kendel, his heart still throbbing, yelled out, trying to get her to come back one last time as he watched her longingly. It was simply a cry for attention.

She heard him and glanced back. Despite her worries, she giggled lightly.

"Maybe I'll come back when I've found my son and I can show you to him, alright little Shaymin?" she offered, putting on that kind smile again.

_Aw man, mom… if only you knew…_

He felt a little miserable that he couldn't do anything to show her the truth in a way she'd believe but continued to watch as she turned again and walked around the door-frame, vanishing from view. A minute later, all three heard the lab's front door open, then close. She had left.

The scientists resumed their work, starting to theorize now about what had brought out his sudden yells and cries for attention. They had no idea and Kendel was sure they'd never find the answer. They just didn't have enough information.

However, seeing his mom again had given him courage. He had a new confidence flowing through him.

_It's just one more day. Burglar or not, I'll be free again and then I can go hunt down that stupid cat and make him return me to my original body._

He settled down in his cage and dropped off to sleep, his mind clear and composed.

-o-

That night, Kendel heard something which woke him up. He had a good guess of what he was hearing and kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep and concentrating on listening to his surroundings.

He barely heard the lab's front door being opened. He heard someone doing something, then it was nearly silent again. He had to remind himself to keep breathing as he waited for something to happen.

Then he sensed someone coming up to the cage. Whoever it was, was very quiet and he strained his ears to hear foot-steps.

Another tense minute later, a gloved hand gently slid under his belly and attempted to slowly and carefully lift him out of the cage, trying to avoid waking him. Kendel opened his eyes just barely to peek out at his handler.

The face was masked so he couldn't see who it was for sure, but he was certain it was the fellow who had been eyeing him during the day.

_He didn't waste any time…_

Kendel saw that the man was about to stick him in a small sack. The bag was made such that Kendel was sure he would be too muffled to be heard once he was in it and the mouth closed. Maybe he could chew his way out, but there was no guarantees about that.

_He is **not** putting me in that. Not if I have anything to say about it!_

Kendel glanced down to see the man's thumb directly in front of him, which he found convenient.

The next moment, it felt to the burglar like his hand had gotten caught in a mousetrap because his thumb felt a very harsh pinch. Kendel had bitten down on the digit before him.

Because the man was wearing gloves, Kendel's little teeth didn't draw blood. However, he had bitten down with as much force as he could muster; more than he might've expected from his small body. Kendel thought he actually felt a slight crunch under his jaws.

"_Yeeerk!_" The thief stifled a yell of pain and reflexively waved his hand. This resulted in Kendel being flung into a wall as he couldn't keep his grip on the man's thumb and his back hit the wall, the grass on him providing a mild amount of cushioning. The Shaymin then flopped onto the table, slightly sore and a little dazed from the impact.

It took Kendel a moment to get his head back in gear, but he was just in time to move out of the way as the man attempted to seize him again. In his hasty move, the man stumbled over a chair and his arms crashed into the various items atop the table, making plenty of noise and missing his prize entirely.

As much as making noise would disservice the burglar, Kendel didn't want to risk the scientists deciding to secure him further if they came running now. There was no guarantee they wouldn't change their mind about releasing him so soon. So Kendel simply took the opportunity he had and fled, jumping down from the table and proceeding to run away from the burglar who quickly scanned his surrounding for his target and, spotting it getting away, the thief cursed under his breath as he gave chase.

Kendel got out into the laboratory area and spotted the door, which the burglar had left just slightly open. It looked like he had done something to the lab's security system because it didn't appear to be active.

That didn't concern him at the moment though. He ran for the door just in time as the thief hastily attempted to bring his hands down on the pokemon and pin it to the floor. The burglar missed when Kendel dashed for the exit and the human stumbled as his awkward footing did not serve him well. The man ended up face-planting into the floor with a hard _thump_.

Kendel chuckled to himself. Being a pokemon had some advantages and he felt some satisfaction in having made a fool of the human.

He was almost to the door when it swung open wider and Kendel skidded to a halt, his heart seeming to stop. The burglar had apparently made too much noise in his failed attempts to recapture him as the two scientists of the lab were in the doorway now, dressed in their sleeping attire.

The male lab-worker quickly scanned the room in alarm, seeing Kendel loose and spotting the would-be thief.

"Get the Shaymin back into its container," the man told his partner, "I'll handle this!"

The female scientist closed the door as the man went and tackled the thief, who was still trying to get up from his fall.

_Aww nuts… I was almost out of here._

The scientist tasked with recapturing him crouched low and tried to get closer so she could grab him.

"Easy there… I'm not going to hurt you… you're going to be alright…" she said gently, trying to calm him down.

Unlike the burglar, Kendel had misgivings about harming this lady in any way. She meant well and the two lab assistants were truly good people. The formerly human boy knew this.

However, he would have a difficult time getting past her without biting or showing some aggression. Then there was the matter of the door. He figured he might be able to turn the handle if he could get up there.

Then he had an idea… he just needed to be a little nimble.

He backed away from the woman before him, as if shy or scared of her and she repeated her statements, trying to get him to relax. He tensed up, readying himself for his next move, then charged at the human as fast as he could possibly push himself to go.

Alarm crossed her face and she quickly attempted to grab him. He evaded her hands and raced up her arm. She tried to pin him down to her arm with one hand but missed again.

He then jumped off her shoulder and his body fell over the door-knob. His feet attempted to stick to the smooth metal and he slid off, the knob turning as he did so. The door opened slightly and as he landed on the floor, Kendel immediately darted for the opening.

Before the human could turn around and close it again, Kendel nudged the door open wider and raced outside.

He shot around the side of the lab and rushed straight for the trees. He didn't stop until he was safe in the woods.

Once there, he turned around, panting for breath and looked.

The woman was outside, looking around for him. A minute later, the other lab assistant came out, leading the caught burglar out before him. It appeared he had used something like rope to tie up the thief's hand; Kendel was too far away and the environment too dark for him to tell what it was exactly. The thief's mask had been removed and he might've had a bloody nose from his impact with the floor. Kendel barely picked up the brief conversation in the quiet of the night.

"The Shaymin?" the male scientist asked,

"Escaped. Smart little fellow. It got away from me, opened the door and got outside. It must have gotten to the trees." She explained, sounding mildly ashamed of herself for her failure. Her partner gave her a kind smile.

"Well, we planned on releasing it anyways, so at least it's free again." He assured her gently, "Go back inside and give the police a call, would you? So they can arrest this thief here." He said, then focused on making sure the criminal wouldn't get away.

Kendel watched, feeling satisfied, as the lady went inside. He had escaped… and helped bust a criminal to boot.

_Well, I'm free again… so it's time to go search for Mew._

He spared his house one last glance. He knew he would miss his parents and they were certainly worried about him.

_Just wait for me Mom… I'll be back before you know it…_

He then turned and headed north through the trees, towards Jubilife City.


	5. Shaymin Magic

**I am going to take some time to think over what I'm going to do next with the storyline so it might be a while before I update again.**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 5: Shaymin Magic

Kendel was a little tired from the night's events and not getting a complete night's sleep, but he wanted to get a move on and try to find Mew quickly. Besides that, he was somewhat worried that if he hung around any longer, he'd want to try and just move into his house as a pet instead and give up. He could barely stand watching his mother looking so downcast in his absence.

_I need to return to my original form quickly. Before something happens._

So Kendel headed up to the first route on his journey to the north.

There were ledges in the path which he remembered watching many other kids playing around by jumping down from the top. More rough-&-tumble types sometimes even climbed back up the ledge and jumped down again, sometimes putting up fancy poses or other tricks as they went, showing off.

It wasn't something Kendel normally did as he was a bit more about discovery when going places. This was why this route never had gotten his interest that much. Most everything was in plain sight around here.

However, Kendel wasn't here to explore, he needed to get to Jubilife City so he could go onto the next step of his search for Mew.

He found it difficult to keep track of where he was navigating through trees so he decided, for better or worse, that he needed to go through the tall grass. This meant some risk of a trainer coming across him but if that were the case, Kendel could easily high-tail it out of a fight. Pokeball or no, he felt he had a little too much pep for anyone to be capturing him with any success right away.

Other pokemon noticed him as he made his way through the route. Many looked a little surprised to see a pokemon like himself in the area, but Kendel ignored these looks and proceeded.

His first obstacle came in the form of a human. He could see the pokeball at the boy's hip, waiting to be used.

Even if he wasn't a trainer himself, Kendel had watched the occasional battle and he knew this trainer was watching for someone or something to fight. Furthermore, he was watching over a space of open ground. The moment Kendel stepped out of the tall grass, he would be in plain sight. To any trainer, that action would simply be begging them to try and catch him.

If he could, Kendel wanted to avoid a fight, especially with a trainer. He was taking no chances with being encased in one of those red-&-white balls.

The bigger problem though was that it was a rather large space to cross and there were more trainers beyond. Even if he got past one, Kendel would have to also find his way past the others. Too many delays for him and even more risk that someone would manage to catch him.

He noticed a hill covered in trees directly ahead. It was the most obvious solution and had he not been a pokemon, it would not have been feasible with how tightly bunched the trees were.

Kendel proceeded ahead, avoiding being spotted by the boy. Fortunately, the grass and few outlying trees blocked the human's view of him making his way to the curtain of trees and Kendel slipped through easily.

Then came the second obstacle:

"Hey! Where do you think _you're_ goin'?"

Kendel barely had time as he stepped out of the trees to hear someone yell this when he was slammed into from the side.

He tumbled away and shook himself to get his head back together before he turned to face the one who had hit him.

It was a cat that was primarily blue and black in color with a yellow tuft of fur on the end of its tail. It had bright, yellow eyes and a little pair of fangs. A Shinx.

When he had been human, Kendel had found these little cats to be cute in a way and he had wondered what made them so dangerous. Then a passing trainer had shown him the amount of electricity they could generate and use in a fight. It still hadn't seemed quite so dangerous to a trainer as the felines were so small.

However, now that he was a pokemon himself, a Shaymin… the Shinx was a little bigger than him and Kendel found himself feeling quite intimidated by the Shinx's rather cruel smirk.

"Ow! What was that for?" Kendel said. His entire side was sore from the Shinx plowing into him.

"This is my turf. You keep off of it, trespasser!" The Shinx said bluntly and charged to tackle him again. Kendel had no clue what to do in defense except cover his head, which he did quickly.

The blow wasn't quite so painful the second time since Kendel was ready for it this time but it still hurt and Kendel was quickly being worn down.

"Keep off unless you wanna be lunch meat!" the Shinx said, his tail whipping back and forth and he attempted to attack Kendel's head with his jaws.

Kendel dove to the side and the Shinx snapped down on air. The former human quickly fled back into the trees, the Shinx laughing triumphantly behind him at his retreat.

Kendel was already sore all over, from only two hits by the Shinx. And it had attempted to finish him too.

_Owww… that jerk…_

Kendel looked around a bit, sparing the zone he had just fled from one last glance.

_Well… I'm not going to get anywhere going that way… and I doubt I can just rely on a trainer getting rid of him for me._

Kendel found himself already out of options. He couldn't risk going by the trainers… however being dead was arguably worse than being captured.

_It's just one Shinx and I'm already unable to get anywhere. Crap!_

Kendel slapped the ground with one foot, frustration setting in. Then he looked up when felt he was being watched and saw a small bird looking at him.

The bird was a little smaller than him and was mostly black in coloration with a white, crest across its face. Kendel also knew a Starly when he saw one and drew back slightly, nervous.

"What? You wanna pick a fight too?" Kendel said edgily. He was already tired of being a pokemon with how rough battles were.

"What? No. No." The bird said fluttering in alarm, his sentences brisk, sharp, and somewhat hyper, "I was just wondering. Wondering if you're okay." This manner of speech seemed oddly fitting for a bird to Kendel.

Kendel didn't lower his guard though.

"I just got clobbered, alright? Do I _look_ okay?" Kendel snapped moodily.

The bird hopped back, a little hurt by the Shaymin's words.

"Oh. Sorry, sorry. I just. Y'know. Just was wondering." The bird chirped, turning away and looking a little downcast.

Kendel sighed and mentally chastised himself.

_Now __I'm__ the one being a jerk… this Starly just was seeing if I was okay and I yelled at him._

"Sorry…" Kendel said, calming himself down, "I'm just trying to get to Jubilife up ahead and I can't get past…all these humans and then that guy…" he trailed off, his irritation with the circumstances arising again.

"Oh yes. Enzo's a mean one." The Starly said, nodding once or twice.

"Enzo?"

"The Shinx. He's mean. Always picks on Starly. Like me. And my friends."

Kendel blinked… for some reason, it hadn't occurred to him that pokemon had names before being captured, their species aside. It also occurred to the former human that this Starly was sympathizing with him.

"Is there… do you know a way to get around Enzo?" Kendel asked hopefully.

"Oh yes. We Starly. We usually fly over him. But you ground-pokemon. You can go around." The Starly explained, and pointed off to the right… where all the trainers were. Kendel's hopeful expression fell.

_But I can't go that way. I can't fight and if I try to run my way through, one of those trainers are sure to wear me down and then…_

He didn't finish the thought.

"'Course. You could fight Enzo." The Starly suggested "But he's tough. Too tough. Everyone who tackles him. They get hurt worse." The Starly shook its head.

_Well, if they can even get up the nerve to take him on in a physical confrontation like that…_ Kendel thought, remembering the intimidating gaze he had received from the Shinx. He considered his options for what he could do to get to Jubilife and he found he only really had one.

The Starly started to hop, turning around and spread its wings, getting ready to take off into the air.

"Well. Good luck. Good luck, grass. I join my friends. Up in the sky."

"Wait!" Kendel quickly yelped. The Starly folded its wings back in slightly and turned its head, listening.

"I… I don't know how to fight." He admitted, feeling a little embarrassed, "Could you help me?"

The bird looked quite astonished as it fluttered in place and turned back around.

"What, what? Don't know how to fight? How you get anywhere? How you get here?" the bird chirped, cocking his head in various directions as if trying to see what functional flaw Kendel had that prevented him from fighting. Kendel couldn't help noticing the bird's sentences became a little more disjointed when it was flustered or agitated.

"I… I just don't really know how to fight. I've run away from fights until now…" Kendel explained, feeling like a coward. He couldn't run from this fight though. Enzo wouldn't let him past and so he could only flee back towards Sandgem. The only way forward was to get rid of the Shinx standing in his way.

"Oi, oi! Grass! Use self! Use grass! Punish! Punish!" The bird chirped at him energetically.

Kendel blinked… he had no idea what the bird meant. Then it pecked him over the head with that sharp beak.

"Ow!" he yelped, the tap over the head hurt more than he would've expected, "Stop that!"

The bird hopped around him though and pecked him in the side, pulling grass out of him.

"Grass! Grass!" It chirped some more, plucking more strands of plant-matter out of Kendel, which hurt exceedingly.

"Argh!" Kendel yelled and ran to put a bit of distance between them before turning around to face the bird.

"Stop pecking me!"

The bird dropped the strand of grass in its beak and fluttered.

"Use grass! Throw! Hit!" The bird chirped and flapped wildly, kicking up a mild wind and sending the bits of grass it had plucked out of Kendel, fluttering into the air.

Kendel was still confused but by this point, realized that the Starly was trying to tell him how to attack.

_Throw? Hit? I'm… I'm supposed to use… use what again?_

"You understand?" the bird chirped, "Use on me! Practice! Then you punish. Punish bad Shinx. Punish Enzo!"

The Starly then stood there, waiting for Kendel to attack it.

Kendel took a minute to contemplate the bird's directions.

_Use grass… throw it… hit?_

The only grass-type pokemon Kendel could remember seeing was a Budew… which were quite different from him. And he hadn't ever seen one throw grass before.

Nonetheless, Kendel thought about it. He thought about throwing the grass on his own back at something. He felt several things sprout on his back and he glanced back to see several leaves growing out of him amidst the blades of grass.

Looking at the leaves… Kendel found himself feeling a deep connection. It felt like some sort of empathic link with the leaves. They almost felt like small beings that would obey him if he willed it.

_Alright…_ He thought, focusing his mind… _Go hit that bird there then._

He focused his thoughts on the leaves hitting the Starly as hard as they could. A second later, Kendel felt the leaves fall off of him. It was a painless sensation and didn't distract from his concentration. The leaves fluttered away from him momentarily, then they turned and flew like a swarm of bees at the bird Kendel was concentrated on.

The Starly raised it wings like shields and the wings were battered by the small swarm. When it was over the bird chirped excitedly.

"Good! Good! You use grass! Practice! Then go! Go punish Shinx!" it chirped, sounding pleased.

Kendel couldn't help grinning as well. It had felt rather neat controlling the group of leaves like that.

_Cool. I dunno how the heck I actually did that… but that was pretty neat._

"Again! Hit Starly again! Practice!" the bird chirped.

"Y-you sure?" Kendel said, uncertain. He didn't want to injure the bird, even if it was volunteering for target practice as the target.

"Starly tough! Not as tough as Enzo! But can endure! Can take hits! Hit Starly!" it insisted.

"Okay…" the Shaymin mumbled and closed his eyes, focusing on the Starly in front of him once more.

Then the Starly suddenly flapped and took off into the air. The sudden aspect of hitting a moving target broke Kendel's concentration.

"Whoa, whoa! Wait, I can't hit a moving target! I need more practice!"

"This is practice! Just hit! Doesn't matter. Moving or still. Just hit Starly!" the bird chirped and proceeded to fly in various directions around Kendel.

Kendel groaned, figuring he might as well try at least. He focused again, the leaves sprouting. They soon fell off and he focused on the flapping sound around him.

The leaves took off and Kendel just focused on the Starly in his thoughts. The leaves flew directly at the Starly, which flapped hard and flew faster. At first, Kendel thought they were going to miss but as he kept his focus, the leaves veered in the Starly's direction and started to chase it like a salvo of homing missiles.

Kendel almost let the leaves fall right then in his surprise but he quickly concentrated harder and the leaves continued chasing the Starly through the air. They soon cut off the bird's path and it was smacked from the air by the barrage, tumbling to the ground.

Kendel opened his eyes again and ran over to where the Starly had fallen down, which wasn't too far.

"Hey! Are you okay?" he said, truly worried he had hurt the Starly. However, after a second, the bird rolled itself over and got to it feet. Kendel was astonished to see the bird was actually rather unharmed. It was a bit scratched up from the landing and Kendel could see a bruise or two under the bird's feathers, but it was otherwise in perfectly good condition.

"Great! Good! Grass very good! Go now! Punish Shinx! Teach him not to pick on Starly!" the bird said, apparently ignoring its own injuries.

Kendel was a little astonished at the bird's rather hardy complexion but a grin soon spread across his face.

"Right… I'll go teach Enzo a lesson." He said, feeling confidence flood through him as he considered what he had just learned.

The Starly looked up at this point as a swarm of birds flew by overhead. The sky was becoming lighter as the sun began to rise.

"Flock. I will join. Good luck grass. Good-bye." The Starly then spread its wings and flew up into the sky to join the flock.

"Bye! Thanks for the help!" Kendel called after it, raising a fore-paw off the ground to wave goodbye.

Once the group of birds had vanished over the trees and he couldn't see them any longer, Kendel turned and headed back into the trees.

A couple minutes later, he reemerged out into the tall grass, wary for any surprise attacks from the Shinx. He wasn't disappointed.

Enzo didn't bother with saying anything this time and attempted to silently ambush the Shaymin encroaching on his territory. However Kendel was ready for him and sprinted forward to evade him. The cat settled for ramming Kendel and while the former human stumbled from the impact to his side, he didn't stop and whirled to face Enzo after putting a little distance between them.

Kendel closed his eyes to focus on attacking Enzo and the leaves quickly sprouted, falling off in seconds. The Shinx meanwhile advanced to try and take out his opponent quickly.

"Teach you to come back so soon…" he growled. Then the leaves falling from Kendel shot forward and he yelped in surprise as the small swarm assaulted him. He was knocked backwards and quickly got up shaking his head.

"Alright! You're toast!" Enzo snarled.

Kendel's heart was pounding and he felt little but nervousness as he faced down the Shinx's glower.

Growling, Enzo charged again and pounced on the Shaymin. Kendel attempted to cover his head protectively and Enzo grabbed him on-landing and rolled with him, tumbling. Kendel's back hit the ground and Enzo, who had somewhat thrown him across the ground, pounced again, his paws landing on Kendel's exposed belly.

"Oof!" the cat's weight pressed the air out of him but he reactively pushed with his back legs before his opponent could attack the soft spot, shoving Enzo off of him and quickly rolled over to get back on his feet.

Enzo persisted but Kendel had had enough and his back sprouted more leaves, which he actively shook off of him and the plant-matter soon pelted at the Shinx. Enzo yowled and attempted to dive to the side, but as they had with the Starly, the leaves curved in their path and slammed the cat in their kamikaze strike.

When it was over, Enzo was still standing but he wasn't looking so cocky or confident now. He attempted to shake off what weariness was starting take hold of him and charged once more.

"Oh c'mon…" Kendel groaned, already getting exhausted himself. Nonetheless, he tried to maneuver so that Enzo would end up hitting his grass-protected hide. The cat went for his head and the human turned and moved, getting slammed across his side. The impact knocked Kendel off his feet, somewhat to his surprise but rather than trying to stay on his feet, Kendel went with the roll and rolled over once, landing on his feet again. It had been an entirely instinctive move, and one that had saved him from being exposed again.

He focused once more, praying Enzo would give up after one more volley, and shook the leaves off, using his connection with them to hurl the swarm at the cat again.

Enzo's round ears laid back across his head, showing the dread he was feeling as he saw the leaves flying at him. He bowed his head, eyes shut as he braced himself but the attack proved to be too much for him and he was slammed to the ground by the flurry. He tried to get to his feet but he collapsed again and groaned as he lost consciousness.

Kendel watched the brief struggle and breathed a sigh of relief when Enzo stayed down.

_Whew… he's one tough customer…_

However, Kendel felt satisfied. Jubilife was just ahead now.

He peered out from the tall grass and saw just one human standing between him and his destination.

It was a simple matter for him to quietly go into another patch of trees and sneak by, the city was close enough that he had no risk of getting lost in the woods.

He didn't plan to actually go into the city, however he would need to go around and at least search the surrounding landscape. Mew would not elude him if he had any say in the matter.

_Here I come Mew, ready or not!_


	6. Trainer Terrors

**_Whew I've been gone a long time. College and Senior semister does that to a guy. Sorry I haven't been putting up chapters for so long._**

**_Hopefully, I'll be able to get out a good number of chapters while I've got some free-time on my hands._**

**_Enjoy._**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 6: Trainer Terrors

Kendel knew of course, that there was no entering Jubilife City. If he had been human, this would've been the most obvious course of action. However, no rare pokemon just walked into a human city. Not unless they wanted to be caught and put quite firmly in a pokeball.

Kendel had long had it confirmed that he was in the form of a rare pokemon. So he went around the outskirts of the city and walked amidst the trees on the very perimeter.

He couldn't help trying to look up at the city though, somewhat longing to go into the middle of the paved locale and look around like he never had before.

He eventually came to a fence at the north-eastern end of the city which separated the tree-line from a dirt road. Kendel was pretty sure the road led to Oreburgh City to the east, which was actually a mining town.

Kendel had only heard of the city, and only because it was directly south of Eterna City, where he had lived most of his life. He hadn't been able to visit the place since the only plausible route to Oreburgh from Eterna was across the Cycling road, which was essentially a bridge where anyone crossing was required to ride a bike.

Though there was a bike shop right there in Eterna, his parents nor Kendel himself hadn't ever had the money required to buy one. Bicycles were expensive.

So now he had two options for which way to go in his hunt for Mew: he could head north from Jubilife and find his way up to Floroma Town. Or he could go east and check Oreburgh.

_Oreburgh would be full of people I would think… surely someone would've spotted Mew if he went visiting there._

_Besides… what would Mew want to do there anyways besides wait for me? Like he would…_

It seemed unlikely to Kendel that he'd find the feline pokemon at Oreburgh. So it was off to Floroma Town. He could also head for Oreburgh another time if it seemed more likely Mew was there for some reason.

This meant Kendel had to cross the dirt path that went out of Jubilife and go into the trees on the other side.

_Why'd the Shaymin cross the road?_ Kendel shook his head as the lame joke crossed his mind.

_Bet no one would answer to go find the Mew that turned him into an unwanted form…_

Kendel placed the joke aside in his head and charged across the path, headed for the trees.

"Hey! Bidoof, go!"

Kendel froze in his tracks when a red and white ball arced through the air and deposited a Bidoof directly in his path. He glanced off to the side where the ball had come from to see a human boy, looking quite eager to try and catch a new pokemon.

The Bidoof seemed to be full of pep and was excited to be out and fighting.

"I don't have time for this." Kendel said under his breath, his tone edgy.

The young trainer barked out an order to tackle and the Bidoof charged at the former human.

Kendel was faster though and the leaves were already growing among the blades of grass on him. He shook the leaves off and willed them to attack his opponent. The Bidoof looked a little startled when the small swarm pelted at him and the chubby mouse bowed his head slightly as the foliage slammed him.

Then the Bidoof plowed into Kendel. This wasn't the graceful, lithe attempts at striking that Enzo had been hitting with. This was more blunt force and Kendel was a little staggered under the impact.

The Bidoof quickly backed away to get ready for its next move.

_Ow… can't take much of that._

Keeping himself on his feet, Kendel tried to look like he had just shrugged the impact off… he couldn't help feeling tired though, if only slightly.

_I need rest… or something to restore my strength…_

Even though, unlike typical pokemon, Kendel knew how to operate man-made items, he doubted he'd be able to use the items purely from his size and stature. He didn't have hands for starters.

Right at the moment though, Kendel would've liked someone to have used a potion on him. He certainly wouldn't be getting that from any human though… not while he was considered a wild pokemon and he planned on staying that way if it meant he had a chance at returning to true form.

His mind was partially dwelling on his desire for a stamina booster of some sort when he became aware of something in his mouth. A moment of feeling the object and Kendel realized it had to be a small collection of seeds.

At first, he figured it might be for Bullet Seed. He'd seen that move in-action before when he had spectated in a pokemon battle once. Thus, he did the first action that crossed his mind and tried spitting the seeds out at his opponent.

Had the trainer's Bidoof not been charging at him again in response to another Tackle-order, the move would've missed. The seed's were bigger than Kendel had expected and he ended up spitting them out one at a time, though fairly quickly. Gravity quickly had their way with the seeds and Kendel aimed a few higher when the first two ricocheted off the ground.

The seeds however, didn't bounce off the Bidoof, nor did they do any clear damage. His opponent plowed into him once more and Kendel rolled with the blow the best he could. But he could tell the mouse was wearing him down fast.

As the Bidoof backed up again, it shuddered and something flew out of it.

_What the-?_

The object, or rather objects that came out appeared to be lights of some sort. The lights promptly flew over to Kendel who backed away, afraid this was another attack of some sort.

The lights shot into the Shaymin and he blinked as he felt some of his strength return. He was still trying to figure out what had just happened though.

"Alright. Let's catch this one!" The boy yelled excitedly, yanking Kendel's mind off of the most recent event and onto the imminent. The boy dug in his bag for only a moment before brandishing a red and white ball like the one that had unleashed the Bidoof.

_Oh crap…_

Kendel felt like he was frozen in place as the boy wound-up and pitched the ball.

The pokeball hit Kendel over the head and the next moment, it felt like he had been lifted off the ground and he was in a sack of some sort. It was almost entirely dark though so he couldn't actually see anything.

He may have been tired, but Kendel could feel the weaknesses in this "sack" around him.

_This must be what it's like inside one of these things._

He'd heard that some pokemon were a little afraid of the capsule orbs and the former human found himself feeling very sympathetic indeed.

_Who'd like being stuck in darkness like this?_

He struggled and tried to shove against the force attempting to hold him. He felt the container around him shake.

_Oh, no you don't._

Again, he'd witnessed some of the workings of these items and was aware he had three chances if he struggled the best he could. That was one down.

In the few moments he had, Kendel focused on "sack" around him. He had weak points… so did this pokeball. It took him a second but he located a spot that seemed plenty weak. Summoning up the energy he had left, he promptly attempted to swing his entire body at the weak-point.

It gave under the blow and the next moment, Kendel was in light again as the ball released him and he escaped.

"Awww nuts! C'mon!" young trainer said sadly, sounding disappointed when his capture attempt failed.

Kendel glanced over at the small piece of technology, now lying on the ground, broken and used up. He could hardly believe he had fit inside that when it was roughly half his size overall, if not smaller.

"I'm not going down that easy!" Kendel declared fiercely, trying to imagine himself simply facing down another ghost in the Chateau. It helped him feel braver, even facing a human who was younger than him, yet at least three times his size.

He focused, summoning the homing leaves again and proceeded to throw the swarm at the Bidoof, confident the trainer wouldn't be willing to continue trying to catch him if there wasn't a pokemon standing in the way to protect him.

The Bidoof briefly braced itself against the attack before it was bombarded by the leaves. Moments after the attack finished, another small swarm of lights rose from the Bidoof (prompting a shudder from it) and the lights shot into Kendel again. He didn't back down this time but he was still trying to figure out what was happening as he felt another small boost in his strength.

That's when he noticed where the lights were coming from on the Bidoof. Just behind the mouse's head, somewhat obscured by its fluffy fur and its head, were a few leafy plants. Kendel knew from general experience Bidoof was not a grass-type… so plants like that were not natural on one.

The boy decided to retry his capture efforts and though Kendel was ready this time, he still couldn't evade the ball that was pitched at him.

On the other hand, it didn't hold him for long. Kendel's mind felt a little clearer with the slight removal of his fatigue and like before, Kendel could sense the weaknesses in the pokeball trying to hold him. Without any hesitation, he jerked himself towards the biggest weak-point he could sense, slamming into it and the flaw in the hold gave way, freeing Kendel again.

The trainer was starting to look worried now as Kendel yelled and launched another flurry of leaves at his opponent. The Bidoof stumbled under the assault and then groaned with an undeniable agony as the plants growing out of it sucked more energy from it and proceeded to direct the energy towards the plant's own master: Kendel.

Not that Kendel understood any of this at the moment. All he knew was that the Bidoof collapsed as the lights rose out of it once more and he was slightly energized as the light entered into his body.

The boy quickly pulled out the pokeball that had held the Bidoof before and called the pokemon back into the ball. The plants were left behind, dropping to the ground.

The trainer then tried to feel for another pokeball with a pokemon to send out and he paled when he realized he was without defense.

"You done now? Or you wanna try tangling with me directly?" Kendel growled at the boy. He was actually being more bark than bite though: pure intimidation and no actual threat of physical harm. He hadn't the stomach or will to attack a human being like this, much less a boy like what he was originally.

Of course, the human didn't know this and backed off slightly ready to run, before simply passing out with a nervous look.

Kendel blinked, astonished and wondering if he had really scared the boy that badly.

_Whoops… I hope he'll be okay…_

Kendel walked up uneasily and was going to check to make sure the human hadn't gotten hurt in collapsing, but the boy stirred and Kendel quickly backed up again.

_I need to get moving._

He turned and ran for the trees again: his original course. He made the remainder of the trip undisturbed and glanced back at the passed out trainer.

_Geez… I didn't think I'd scare him __that__ badly._

He glanced at himself, wondering if he really could do so much damage to a full-grown person as to kill them if he was that aggressive about it.

_I think I nearly did that much to a pokemon… human beings, we don't have those kinds of defenses. We're even easier targets._

Again, he found it a little disturbing to think he was considered so dangerous… and to find fairly solid proof that he could do as much.

He proceeded north, towards Floroma Town as he thought over the battle and over how this body of his worked.

_It's almost like I can command plants so long as they came from me to begin with. Those leaves… how does that work anyways?_

He couldn't figure out how he could make leaves chase a target. The plant-matter didn't have a physical connection with him… it didn't have a mind of it own… did it?

Another matter that crossed his mind was the lights that had been coming from the Bidoof he had been fighting. By now, he'd figured out that the mouse had been harmed by this… release. His mind wandered to the plants he'd seen… and he connected the dots.

_Those seeds… they didn't… they didn't plant themselves in it and start growing in it, did they?_

Kendel felt his stomach turn a little as considered this. The grass growing out of him was one thing… it didn't release light like what had been happening with the poor mouse. But thinking about the fact that he had unintentionally put life-sucking plants in a living creature was something the former human found a little sickening. He hadn't ever heard of "Leech Seed". However, it wasn't long after these thoughts, that Kendel realized he had been draining the Bidoof's body... sucking it dry with those plants.

_Ick. Ugh… what kind of sick creature am I anyways?_

He paused and looked himself over again.

_And I was considered __cute__ by some back at Sandgem? I-_

Kendel blinked and then violently shook his head as he realized that he _did_ have at least one point in-common with Mew: the two of them were definitely dangerous pokemon, despite their charming appearances.

_Alright, so I __did__ wish to be like Mew… but I wasn't thinking of the fact he's dangerous at the time. And I certainly wasn't thinking about being a pokemon myself. No… I just wanted to free. To have fun. But killing others, causing them pain like that… there's nothing fun about that and it's __wrong__. Why do we do this to pokemon anyways? What's so fun about getting hurt like this?_

Kendel continued onwards towards the cliff that would lead to Floroma, his mind wandering on the issue.


	7. First Encounter

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 7: First Encounter

Kendel did keep an eye out for Mew as he snuck past trainers out exploring the field. If he wasn't in tall grass, the former human was keeping to the trees. He didn't spot the pink feline though.

Other pokemon mostly kept to themselves, more or less ignoring him. He just felt grateful to not have to deal with another "Enzo".

He set aside the issue buzzing around in his head to consider how to get up the cliff that was before him. There was a cave that most trainers and other people typically passed through. Kendel remembered going through there briefly when he and his family was moving from Eterna. The alternative to going through the cave was going up the cliff face directly.

In the end, it was a non-issue: Kendel was going through the cave.

_If I could fly, I'd just soar up the cliff. But as things are… yeah, I'm going through the cave on-foot._

Besides that, it was a short trip. He wouldn't need to go very far at all. The only hazard was the possibility of coming across a trainer but he tried to convince himself that, after dealing with one, he could deal with a second one.

He soon arrived at the other end of the cave after a short climb up a slope and over some rock-piles. Had he been human, he would've had to remove a rock-pile entirely or he wouldn't have been able to get through without risking getting hurt. Once again, he was finding at least a few advantages to being a small pokemon like a Shaymin.

He peered outside the cave and when he didn't see any humans immediately outside, he stepped out carefully, still keeping an eye out as he went.

There was one boy present wandering around the area of the ledge and admiring the view from the top of the small cliff. Looking out from the cliff-top, Kendel couldn't deny that the view was pretty.

Jubilife City was clearly visible from this height despite the trees that may have been in the way. Kendel could see the TV Station… the Pokemon Center…

He quickly pulled his mind off his observations and glanced at the boy again to make sure the human still hadn't noticed him. Fortunately, the human hadn't noticed him as he was quietly enjoying the view. Using his small size and some care with his steps, Kendel snuck by behind him and headed for the incline that headed further up the cliff and towards Floroma Town ahead.

He tried to keep himself out of line-of-sight the best he could and if all else failed; Kendel supposed it he might be able to curl up right there on the grass and try to blend in… though that seemed a little unlikely.

There were more humans standing between him and Floroma Town on the ledge above.

_This just keeps getting better and better…_ Kendel thought, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Up in the higher area, was the path which went around to the right, going around a cluster of trees in the middle. A girl was standing in front of the tree cluster, enjoying the view like the boy on the lower ledge. She just had a higher perspective. The path was in full view to her, much to Kendel annoyance.

Straight ahead, going around the trees the other way, was a small ledge that Kendel would have to climb or go through the trees to get by.

_Another trip through tight-knit trees. Why do people have to position themselves so that they see everyone who passes through anyways?_

When he was sure the girl wasn't looking in his direction, Kendel darted for the trees and once he was within the small cluster, he took a moment to catch his breath before pressing onwards through the plant-life.

On the other side, were three people. One was a boy brandishing a net as he stalked around the tall grass. It was obvious from the net and his clothes that the boy was a bug-catcher hunting for bug-type pokemon.

_I doubt he'd be interested in catching me… but he still might pick a fight just to train his pokemon…_

The other two humans were a pair of young, twin girls, standing in a patch of flowers sharing their admiration for the flora with each other.

_Double trouble right there. I'd have to deal with a pokemon from each of them, I bet._

On this side of the cluster of trees, there were a good number of flowers growing just off the path. Although he had never had that much interest in flowers, Kendel found the sight of all the blossoms strangely welcoming and it caused him to subconsciously relax.

Thus, when a Kricketot, a little red cricket-pokemon with a large couple antenna, dropped off of a branch overhead and unexpectedly landed on Kendel's back, this caused Kendel is scream from sheer surprise and he ran out of the cluster of trees in a panic. The bug-type tried to hold on for those first few moments as his reaction startled it just as much as the Kricketot itself had startled Kendel. However, it had no real hands or anything to hold on with and so Kendel's sprint quickly shook it off, leaving it dazed on the path. It had to run from the bug-catcher boy moments later.

Of course, Kendel's yell of surprise drew attention. Specifically, from the two girls who saw and were immediately interested in the little Shaymin, as like so many other humans, they'd never seen a pokemon like him before.

_Oh crap! That cinches it!_

Kendel ran as the two girls quickly got to their feet and attempted to chase after him. He was already headed for town so he headed straight through the arch that welcomed people into Floroma and looked around for somewhere to hide.

He was already drawing a few gazes as he was out in the open here. He needed somewhere to hide, _fast_.

There were two things that stood out the most out of all in Floroma. First, of course, was the buildings, most of which were made of wood and other more natural materials than wouldn't have been seen in other towns.

The other object of interest in Floroma was the sheer multitude of flowers. To his left and going all the way to the tree-line and around the buildings, was a massive field of multicolored flowers.

The strange allure of the flowers made Kendel's decision for him: he darted straight into the flowers and after he had gone a good distance into the field, he looked back and around him.

The twin girls were visually scanning the field of flowers to try and spot him. There were a few other people trying to spot him but weren't stepping into the field. Kendel, his instincts running his mind for the moment, immediately laid himself flat within a small depression in the ground and then curled up, hiding everything that wasn't green or a flower on his body. In this case, Kendel blended in better since he wasn't a mound in the grass now, but looked more like part of the landscape.

He sat there for several minutes, his own breathing about the only thing he could really hear. His chest was rising and falling but he could feel that his back was still. To anyone else looking, he was motionless.

Then he heard the careful footsteps. The two girls were walking into the field, looking for him more carefully.

"Where it'd it go, Liz?" one of the girls asked her twin.

Their footsteps drew closer and Kendel silently prayed he was invisible to them, in the midst of these flowers. His heart was pounding from the sprint he'd done getting here and he was afraid.

"I don't know, Liv." The other girl answered.

Kendel heard their footsteps approach him… then they stepped past him. Cautiously, Kendel uncurled slightly and peered up. The two girls were in front of him, searching the grass with their backs to him.

He quickly curled back up into his camouflaged position when it looked like they were about to turn around.

"Well, we can't show other trainers how we're the best in our class here, can we Liz?"

"Nope. We'd better get back out there to watch the path, Liv." The two girls then made their way back out of town, stepping right over the target of their search and leaving Kendel breathing a deep sigh of relief to himself.

Once he was sure they were gone, Kendel uncurled and took in his surroundings better.

Now that he was calm again, Kendel found that the flowers smelled quite nice… and he felt a little grateful he didn't have hay-fever.

In an area that was so natural and full of nature, Kendel found himself feeling very at-home despite himself. His body was relaxing among the flowers. In their move, Kendel and his family had merely moved through Floroma and he hadn't ever taken a good look around the town as a human.

The town was a quiet place that seemed happy just by virtue of being so in-tune with nature. Kendel carefully made his way through the field of flowers and looked out from the edge at the people going about their business. He noticed a flower shop among all the buildings, which was really quite pretty.

Kendel was going through the field of flowers; around the buildings to take a closer look at the flower shop when he noticed the trees in the back of the town and how there was an opening in the trees where a person could walk in.

What drew his attention was something that definitely wasn't a flower… but was too colorful to be a person unless they were holding a number of flowers.

Being careful to remain low-key around the humans in the field, who were simply enjoying the scent of the flora, the former human made his way over to the trees and went in.

Inside, was an open space mostly free of trees, but shaded from the sun slightly by the tree branches overhead. While there was a house in this enclosure, there weren't any humans outside. There were even more flowers though. More than Kendel could possibly count.

_Wow… just how many flowers are around Floroma Town anyways?_

Kendel's wonderment at the mass of flowers was quickly drawn away by the objective of his entire journey:

Mew was hovering around the field, admiring the flowers himself with a rather absent-minded air about himself.

Kendel promptly leveled a glare at the pink feline and ran over to him. Mew didn't actually notice him until Kendel yelled up at him.

"Alright Mew! Game over! Turn me back!" Kendel demanded promptly.

Mew looked back at him with an odd expression of surprise, blinking.

"_Game over? Really?_" Mew's voice echoed in Kendel's head.

Then it suddenly felt like a wrecking ball had plowed into Kendel's brain at over fifty miles per hour. Needless to say, Kendel was utterly staggered and he was on the ground in seconds, trying to get his head back together and stand up.

"_It doesn't seem like the game's over yet_." Mew commented in rather innocent tones, "_You haven't beaten me. You haven't even attacked yet._"

"W-What?" Kendel groaned, "I thought… I thought…" Kendel couldn't really think very clearly with how Mew's Confusion attack had scrambled his brain.

"_You thought you merely needed to find me?_" Mew filled in for him, "_Aren't you humans always harping on about pokemon battles to show who's better?_" The cat asked, his head down low with his hindquarters over his head, staring directly at Kendel's face. Mew's position had been cute the first time… but now it felt condescending to Kendel in his current position.

"_Well, I figured I might as well play by your rules since you're originally human. It seems fair enough to me._" Mew said simply, "_Honestly, I was expecting you to attack me the moment you found me this first time._"

Kendel grit his teeth in severe aggravation.

_Alright… he wants a battle… he'll get one!_

Kendel willed the leaves to grow and he felt them grow out. He then stood up and shook them off, willing them with all his force of mind to hit Mew as hard as possible.

The leaves obeyed, pelting at the pink cat, who rolled backwards through the air with the assault shielding his face with his arms.

After taking a brief moment to shake his head and get rid of the feeling leftover, Mew looked directly at Kendel and that same psychic force hit Kendel's mind and Kendel found he could take no more. He collapsed on the spot, his body perfectly unharmed but his mind utterly ravaged and his head burning with pain. Mew soon put himself in a position like he was lying on his belly on the ground, only he was hovering in-air.

"_What? Done already?_" Mew asked, sounding very disappointed, "_I thought if you wanted to be human again that bad, you'd fight harder than that… I was hardly even trying._"

"This… this is hardly _fair_…" Kendel groaned. He wanted to stand and attack again… but he simply hadn't the strength.

"_Hardly fair?_" Mew giggled "_It's not __my__ fault if you don't know how to fight properly. You should've taken some time to learn a bit if you're gonna fight me._" Mew said, moving upright into a sitting position in air.

_Why is it, this annoying cat keeps on placing the blame on me for all my predicaments? I didn't know I would be fighting him… owww… my head…_

Kendel was losing consciousness now.

"_Don't worry though, our game isn't over. If you realize you really do wanna stay this way though, you can always just give up and I can go find another playmate."_ Mew said in a reassuring tone.

Kendel wanted to argue back… say that he wouldn't be giving up. Ever. However, his eyes were simply too heavy to keep open any longer and he blacked out before he could even attempt to say anything.


	8. Finding Wonders

**_This is more or less a "sight-seeing" chapter. No real action but I'm trying to be visual._**

**_Any tips to improve this would be nice._**

**_Also, I'm going to be busy with other activities for a while again, so I probably will be taking a long time to update again._**

**_Nonetheless, enjoy._**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 8: Finding Wonders

Kendel dreamed while he was unconscious… or rather he was visited in his mind by Mew. A dream would've implied it was his mind making the images and sounds in his head as he lay unconscious on the ground.

"_You ought to check that area out when you wake up._" Mew said, advising him, something that seemed all the more irritating to Kendel, as it seemed like Mew was helping him just to show the former human couldn't do anything without Mew's interference or help.

"Go away, Mew!" Kendel growled waving with his hand to try and drive the pokemon off.

"_That place is great for Shaymin like you, y'know! All those flowers… it's so pretty there. You really should stay there, you'd enjoy it._" Mew didn't seem to listening to him.

"I'm _human_ you dumb cat! Now if you're not going turn me back right now, then scram!" Kendel snapped.

"_I'm not the one who challenged me to a fight when ill-prepared._" Mew giggled, "_Who's the dumb one here again? I certainly didn't make a wish that I didn't want granted._" He said, flipping over so he was looking at Kendel upside-down.

"I made a wish, yes. You're the one who misunderstood what I meant! I never said I wanted to be transformed." Kendel argued, forcing himself to calm down, trying to suppress his temper.

Mew blinked… and Kendel could see that the feline was genuinely confused.

"_You're making no sense now._" Mew said flipping back over again and hovering up to Kendel's face, "_You wished to be like me, right?_"

Kendel sighed as they'd gone over this once already.

"Yes, I did make a wish like that… however, I didn't mean it the way you granted it. I-"

"_How else was I supposed to grant that wish? I couldn't see any other way of doing it._" Mew cut-in bluntly, "_Honestly, I'm rare… but I'm not an absolute miracle worker. I can't do absolutely __anything__, believe it or not._" The cat said shaking its head in disbelief, "_I've already told you that your form has abilities even I don't have. It amazes me what you humans get and then show absolutely no gratitude for. Maybe I should've considered turning you into something different…_"

Now Kendel was the one confused. Most of Mew's words had flown right over his head, leaving him bemused.

Mew then turned away before he could speak up.

"_Well, I'll be waiting somewhere else when you wake up. Since you apparently don't want me around here, I'll be going._" Mew said somewhat nonchalantly. He turned to look at Kendel one last time, "_Be sure to check out that area you're in right now. You might find something interesting. Bye!_" With that Mew flew off and vanished from Kendel's mind, leaving him with a lot of information to take in that he wasn't even sure of.

-0-

When Kendel woke up again, his head was still buzzing with a slight amount of pain. It was just a sign of the number Mew's attacks had done to his brain.

"Ugh… ow…" Kendel pushed himself up, glancing down at his front legs. He was still a Shaymin… of course. He then looked around… he was still in the same place he had been when he had tried fighting Mew (and gotten trounced).

He couldn't suppress the depressed groan as he saw that he was quite alone. No sign of Mew.

_Back to Square-One._

Kendel made his way quietly out of the clearing and stepped into the flower field around Floroma Town. He figured he might as well make use of some of Mew's advice and check out Floroma Town for anything interesting.

-0-

Looking around Floroma Town though, Kendel wondered what the heck Mew had been talking about. He couldn't see anything of interest around the town. When he spared the Flower Shop a glance, he didn't really bother looking.

_Girls… that's all flowers are about: girls. What would I want with those?_

He looked around the rest of the town. There was a pokemon center and a market… but he couldn't just walk into those places any more than he probably would've gotten away with going into the flower shop.

_Starting to wish I could just turn invisible._

Kendel checked himself briefly just to make sure he hadn't spontaneously gone transparent. He hadn't of course.

The rest of the town was residential houses and the flowers, much to Kendel's chagrin.

_I might find something interesting __here__?_ Kendel thought in disbelief. This place, to him, was only mildly more interesting than Sandgem Town. _Mew had to be lying to me… or he was playing a prank._

He gave the town another once over, just to be sure, keeping himself hidden from view from humans as he double-checked the entire town for something of intrigue. He didn't find anything that looked interesting to him though. The residential houses… while they were fairly nice-looking, being made of wood like cabins and the flowers all over the place gave the town a very pleasant scent no matter where Kendel went. However, he didn't see how anything here would help him. How any of it would do anything for him at all.

Frustration setting in, Kendel decided he wanted to get away from here before the sight of the flowers and the lack of any help they rendered drove him mad.

-0-

Kendel went down the road when no humans were looking and followed the path, which ran along a stream. The water seemed to give the area a fresh feel. The air was moist, cool, and Kendel could almost taste the fresh water just walking near the flowing stream. However, he was far too concerned with his own problems to enjoy it.

He kept to the side of the path, ready to cover up and look inconspicuous if needed.

No human beings were on this path though, so his readiness proved unneeded. Kendel then came to a bridge crossing the stream. There was also a building just ahead if one followed the path past the bridge rather than over it. It looked like a small, wind-power electrical plant. Kendel couldn't help feeling a little hypnotized gazing at the spinning rotor of one of the several wind-turbines working away in the breeze.

He stepped around the fence separating the plant area from the rest of the path and wandered into the tall grass near the small power plant. He was mostly safe from being sighted by humans now…

The Shaymin continued his approach towards the turbine until he was craning his neck to look up.

Kendel's watching was interrupted when he heard a splashing noise nearby, he looked down, and jumped back, alarmed when he saw a pokemon right in front of him. The leaves automatically sprouted as Kendel quickly readied himself to fight back.

"Whoawhoawhoa- Whoa! Easy!" the pokemon yelped quickly waving its front paws hurriedly at him, much like a human trying to say "don't shoot me".

This pokemon wasn't one Kendel was familiar with. It was orange with a cream-colored underbelly. It was standing on its hind-legs, which was how it was waving its front paws at him. It had twin tails that twisted around each other behind it and a sleek, somewhat cute face with whiskers. It also had what looked like fins on the sides of its front legs; the oddest thing Kendel saw though was the yellow ring around the pokemon's neck, which looked like it was made of rubber. Kendel was rather reminded of a balloon just looking at that.

The pokemon's short fur was rather shiny which was, upon closer inspection, due to the fact the pokemon was dripping wet, having just come out of the stream.

Though he wasn't familiar with it, Kendel could easily guess from looking at it, that this was a water-type.

_No wonder he doesn't want me attacking him then. He can probably guess I'm grass-type._ Kendel thought, feeling a little smug.

Almost anyone knew the elementary match-ups, even if they weren't a trainer. "Fire beats grass, which beats water, which beats fire." Basic.

"What do you want?" Kendel said, edgey. He'd already figured out that this pokemon wasn't about to attack him, but he still wanted to make it clear he had the upper-paw over him.

"I was just curious what you're looking at. I'm not about to attack you. Easy." The Buizel said, looking ready to run if the Shaymin launched an attack at him.

"Just… these…" Kendel said a little uncertainly, motioning his head at the rotor over their heads. He was trying to feign some ignorance about what the wind-turbines were. In fact, he was actually trying to think of a way he might be able to use it, though no ideas were coming to mind…

"These?" the otter said, looking up at the turbine, "What about them? The humans built them… what for, I don't really know but what would you want with them?"

"Oh, I just find them… interesting." Kendel said, and he had to admit: he was a little enthused by just watching the turbine spin. It was an odd pleasure… but a pleasure nonetheless.

The pokemon shrugged, nonplussed.

"I don't see what's so wondrous about them. They aren't bad, but I've lived around them this whole time and they aren't _that_ interesting." He said with another glance up at the turbine.

Kendel raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like there's that much that's interesting around here to begin with." He said bluntly.

"What?" The Buizel yelped like Kendel had just slapped him, "Wh-what's not great about this entire area, huh?" he gestured around at the stream and grass nearby.

Again, Kendel was a little perplexed.

"What's so exciting about all this? It's just water… grass… there's not that much to look at around here…" he sounded very unimpressed.

The Buizel blinked with an utterly astonished expression.

"You have got to be the _weirdest_ pokemon I've ever met. Who are you anyways? I don't think I've seen anyone like you around here."

Kendel got defensive in a hurry.

"I'm… I'm just passing through. Travelling. I'm not from around here." He said quickly.

"Migrating?" the otter asked, looking thoughtful.

"Nevermind about me." Kendel cut-in before his acquaintance could ask any more questions, "Again, what's so great about this place? There's nothing interesting here. It's dull." Kendel said looking around.

"Have you actually tried _looking_ around this area? _Exploring_ it? I know you said you're just passing through, but that's no excuse not to stop and admire the wonders around here." The otter reasoned, gesturing around with its front paws.

"I… I did look around." Kendel said, however, there wasn't much confidence in his statement, "I didn't see anything-"

"You missed the water, right here?"

Kendel blinked as he was cut-off by the Buizel's disbelieving tone.

"C'mon. This stream _alone_ is beautiful. The water's clean. It helps the flowers to grow almost the year-round. What's not great about all of this?" the otter said insistently.

_He's a water-type… of course he's gonna think the stream's everything._ Kendel reasoned with himself, wanting to roll his eyes.

Apparently the Buizel saw that he wanted to do this because it commented: "You don't believe me, do you?"

"What? I-" Kendel started.

"Come over here." The pokemon said calmly and Kendel was so bemused that he followed it over to the water's edge without really thinking.

The water-type then dove right into the stream, surfacing a moment later. Its dive didn't splash too much so Kendel remained dry… however he wouldn't stay that way for long.

The Buizel swam up to the shoreline and placed its side along the shore. Kendel noticed the yellow ring around the pokemon's neck seemed have gotten bigger and it now looked a little like a life-ring stuck on its neck or perhaps a very fat collar.

"Climb on. Don't worry, you're small enough I think I can handle you." He said with a friendly chuckle.

Needless to say, Kendel was nervous about climbing onto that pokemon. He was afraid he might drown as he had no idea how to swim as a Shaymin. However, after a moment's hesitation, Kendel sucked in a breath and hopped into the stream, immediately latching onto the water-type's "collar".

It lifted its back up so that Kendel could stand on its back.

"Hold on." His ride said with an undeniable happiness in his tone. There was no mistaking that: it loved to swim. Kendel grabbed the "collar" tight and the Buizel took off upstream like a motorboat. The speed startled the former human who yelped and clung even tighter.

Kendel wasn't happy when they came to the bridge he'd passed previously.

"Hold your breath." The Buizel warned him quickly. Kendel had seconds to suck in a breath of air before the Buizel dove under the water and they jetted under the bridge. They surfaced and Kendel breathed in again, rather melodramatically. He was soaked and he shook the water off quickly.

_Was that supposed to be what was so wondrous?_ Kendel thought sarcastically.

They jetted further upstream, Kendel looking back as they did. It had only been perhaps thirty seconds and they were already mere feet from Floroma Town. This pokemon was unquestionably fast in water and he noticed the source of the speed just behind him: the twin tails were whirring rapidly like a blender in the water.

_Whoa… that's… that's actually pretty neat…_

The natural propellers turned the water to mist behind them as they twisted and spun at intense speed , and they continued to jet across the water smoothly. If Kendel had closed his eyes, only the wind might've told him he was moving so fast. _Why didn't Mew turn me into one of these? At least they can swim like nobody else._

Eventually they came to a halt in the middle of the stream, the Buizel moving enough that they remained roughly in-place, and Kendel's hindquarters sunk into the water again as the Buizel turned up-right to speak.

"Look around here… at the water… at the trees… _every_thing. What's not great about this place? What's not to be enjoyed, huh?"

Kendel looked around as he was told. To the left, were the trees hiding the clearing full of flowers… to the right was a cliff-face with humans wandering about up on top of the rock.

He peered over the Buizel's side and looked down at the water. Below, there were a few varied types of fish swimming along in the water. He thought he also saw other pokemon like the one he was riding, jetting up the stream.

At first, he wasn't really impressed… it was nature. Normal pokemon living their lives. He didn't belong to this kind of world. He was human originally. _What's so special about this?_

As he looked around more though… Kendel was realizing that the water was incredibly clear. The stream seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Also, looking at the trees and shrubbery surrounding the stream… there was a lot of green. The grass looked almost as soft as any bed… the trees stood tall and healthy… and the resident pokemon all looked quite happy to just be alive in this environment.

Kendel found himself wondering if Sandgem's beach was this beautiful. If it had this much natural glory about it's appearance. He hadn't ever really taken that close of a look.

"Okay… so the water's a great place… but it's not like I'm going to be swimming all the time…" he reasoned with the Buizel, "I'm a land-dweller, in case you didn't realize that." Kendel said, stating the obvious.

His ride laughed.

"Alright then. Let's take a look at _your_ world then. On land. Hang on." They jetted upstream once more.

-0-

The Buizel had him disembark at a shore of the stream across from a large building that Kendel honestly hadn't expected to see in such a nature-driven locale. The building looked like a factory or some sort, though Kendel couldn't be sure.

His companion didn't spare the human structure a glance though, climbing out of the water and motioning for Kendel to follow him in-land.

They went a fair distance before they went into a gap in a mass of trees…

Kendel found himself in the flower-filled clearing, trees shading them overhead.

"When I don't feel like enjoying the water, I love to come here." The otter said, looking around fondly.

_Flowers? Really? That's the big wonder here?_ Kendel thought boredly. Again, he was not the type of boy who cared about flowers… he saw it as a girl-thing.

The Buizel though, seemed to enjoy being among the flowers and in fact, he flopped down on the ground and relaxed.

"You _have_ been here, haven't you?" the pokemon asked him.

"Yeah… but… it's just flowers. I can see these almost anywhere." Kendel said, if this was "his" world, he was feeling a little cheated after seeing the water-type's world in this area.

The otter looked up at him in amazement once more.

"Look at all these!" He said throwing his front paws into the air, "How many different flowers are there around here? I've been up and down that stream and I can tell you: I've never seen so many in one place like this! It's a wonder!" he said sounding like he had seen a miracle.

Kendel blinked and looked around. There were a lot of flowers… he had to admit… and they came in a very blended mixture of colors. Kendel could barely see any patches of ground that wasn't covered in flora.

His observations were cut-short when the Buizel pointed out a flower directly in front of the Shaymin and started to describe everything wonderous about it, starting with its coloration, going onto the flora's patterns, and how gentle the plant as a whole looked.

What followed for the next five minutes… was a small tour of the flowers in the field…

Kendel couldn't have possibly kept them all straight in his head, but as the tour proceeded, Kendel found some of the designs on the flowers interesting: stripes, speckles, trimmed, wavy… and the colors were so varied, he wasn't sure if he could name some of the colors he saw. He found himself getting interested in the flowers despite himself… and he relaxed. His normal tension from trying to avoid humans faded… he felt his stress from the day's hopelessness melt away. His frustration from losing to Mew was in the back of his mind now… nearly forgotten.

When his tour-guide, the water-type, had finished Kendel felt rather at-peace, although perhaps a little overwhelmed.

"See? How'd you miss all of this? It's been right in front of you this whole time. I couldn't believe you found this place dull." the Buizel laughed, a joyous sound in the midst of nature.

Kendel closed his eyes, smiling gently as he silently conceded his companion's point.

"Well… I'm drying out here in this field so I'm going back to the stream. Try to enjoy yourself a bit more while you're traveling, okay?"

Kendel opened his eyes again in some surprise at the Buizel's sudden departure.

"Wait!" he called after him gently. The otter paused at the gap before the trees and looked back.

"I… Thank you… thank you for showing me this." Kendel said… his face was a little flushed. He felt embarrassed for over-looking so much.

"No problem." The Buizel chuckled with a cheerful grin. Then he was gone, back to the stream.

By this point, it was late and Kendel was drowsy from the day's tour of nature.

_Maybe there's more to see at Sandgem than I thought… if I just look around a little more…_

For the time being… he let Mew pass from his mind. Mew was allowing him all the time he wanted… and while his parents were likely worried sick about him, Kendel figured he needed to give himself a break.

The Shaymin settled himself down in the middle of the flower field and curled up slightly, hiding himself. In the middle of the field, he was virtually invisible… and there he fell asleep.


	9. Rivalry

**_Can't __promise I'm back into writing my fanfict again. I've got things to do._**

**_Still, I'll try to get back into the groove of writing and all that.  
><em>**

**_Hope you all enjoy this chapter.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 9: Rivalry

Kendel woke up the next day as sunlight streamed through the trees. He was feeling considerably better after the relaxing experience he'd had yesterday with that water-type.

_Come to think of it, I never asked his name… I don't even know what species that was._

He couldn't help a little chuckle at his own little bit of negligence. It was unlikely he'd come across that particular pokemon again… and besides that, he needed to get a move-on with his objective.

_Time to go hunt Mew down again._

He felt ready again. He was refreshed, his confidence was still running strong that he could find Mew again, and he could learn to fight as he went.

Kendel hopped down a ledge and headed through the gap in the trees that went into the Floroma Town. There were people enjoying the flowers as usual and as Kendel walked through, careful not to stand out, he noticed the individual flowers more than before. There were even more varieties of flower out in the field around the town. Kendel didn't allow himself to get too side-tracked, even when he noticed a particularly interesting flower that was nice shade of pink with black specks marking the inner portions of the petals… he felt he might've seen it before.

_I had my day of relaxation yesterday. I can admire things another time._ He told himself gently, pulling his attention away from the flower, headed around the flower shop and out of the town.

-0-

Kendel went down the path, keeping an eye out for humans that might spot him, ready to hide himself in plain sight. He turned when he came to the bridge and crossed it. Thankfully, no humans were watching the bridge or he would've stood out like a sore thumb.

As soon as he was across, he went into some tall grass near the bridge. A boy nearby thought he had seen something but Kendel quickly blended with the surrounding grass and after a moment of searching, the human went back to what had been doing elsewhere.

Once that hazard was gone, Kendel got up again and proceeded through the tall grass. He was just coming up to a slope going up onto a hill when someone yelled after him.

"Where do you think _you're_ goin'?"

Kendel blinked in surprise at hearing that voice… again. He sighed, trying not to get annoyed as he turned around.

A very familiar Shinx was glaring him down from behind.

"Enzo?" Kendel said, quite stunned, "You _followed_ me all this way?"

"What do you _think_ I did? I want a rematch!" Enzo said hotly. Kendel was stunned for a second time, this time because he was surprised at the cat's tenacity.

_Sheesh… I can't fault his persistence. I'm surprised he followed me this far._

Kendel turned around to face his old opponent. _Well, at least I can get a little more experience with fighting, even if it is the same guy from before._

Enzo charged and Kendel yelped in both pain and shock when the Shinx opened his mouth wide and bit him, quite hard. Getting tackled had been one thing, but Enzo's fangs were sharp and a very different matter.

Kendel had managed to avoid letting the Shinx bite him anywhere near his head but getting bitten in the side still elicited a sharp gasp from the Shaymin and he jerked away. Enzo smirked at him afterwards like he already had the upper-hand (or paw).

Before Kendel got over his shock from the pain, Enzo pounced again and they tumbled, Enzo trying to scratch at Kendel and do all the damage he could.

The former human finally kicked Enzo off of him and grew out the leaves. When he hurled the plant-matter at Enzo, it was clear the Shinx already knew what was coming and simply braced himself for the incoming attack.

Afterwards, he attempted to bite Kendel again, something Kendel was quickly finding tiresome.

After getting bitten by Enzo's sharp little fangs yet again, the former human decided to try and retreat to buy himself some time to think and consider his options. His opponent was definitely stronger now which meant that Kendel's previous tactics likely wouldn't work this time around.

Obviously, the Shinx didn't make retreating easy.

He snapped at the Shaymin some more, which he managed to evade this time and Kendel leapt down from side of the slope and ran around Enzo, headed for the bridge.

Enzo chased after him but as Kendel approached the bridge, the human from before came walking up again. Kendel promptly dropped to the ground and hid himself amidst the grass.

Enzo knew he was there… but the human didn't and the Shinx was quite aware that he did not have the advantage of camouflage that Kendel did, as his black and blue fur stood out in sharp contrast to the grass around him while the Shaymin's back covered in plant-matter blended in almost perfectly.

Rather than risking being spotted by the human and potentially caught, Enzo grudgingly backed down and kept away.

Once the human had turned his back on Kendel, he got up and sprinted across the bridge. Enzo didn't follow and Kendel was pretty sure his opponent knew he didn't have to. He knew now that Kendel was going that direction and there were clearly no other ways to proceed without going that direction. Thus, if the Shinx was smart at all, he would simply wait around there to intercept Kendel whenever he tried to get by.

_Now what? I don't think just throwing leaves at Enzo is going to beat him now._

Kendel glanced up at the sky… finding himself wishing now that that Starly from before would show up and perhaps give him some more pointers. Even if it had hurt the first time, Kendel felt he could use more instructions on how to fight as he was.

However there were no signs of birds in the sky, much less Starly. He wouldn't be getting any tips from a passing bird.

Then an odd sight met Kendel's eyes.

At first, he thought they might've been birds… however, birds usually had wings… and they flapped those wings. These pokemon didn't appear to have wings, yet they were flying all the same.

_Are those… balloons?_

The pokemon up in the sky were purple in color and, indeed, very balloon-like and there were several that seemed to just drift on the wind. Others seemed to be pushing themselves forward with the wind helping their speed along.

Then one broke away from the group and drifted down until it vanished behind the trees. It was near the wind-power plant.

The rest of the group continued on, flying right over the area Kendel had been trying to walk through when Enzo had intercepted him.

Curious, Kendel walked around the trees and looked around the plant-zone. The balloon-pokemon was hovering around, looking at the wind turbines. It looked a little confused.

The pokemon had a spherical body and black, beady eyes over a mouth that looked like an X-patch like it was keeping air from escaping. It's arms (if they could be called that) were no more than strings, ending in heart-shaped appendages that Kendel guessed were its hands.

Kendel approached slowly, watching the pokemon hover around the area, like something was missing and it was searching for it.

"What are you looking for?" Kendel finally asked, once he had gotten up some courage. The pokemon unnerved him for reasons he was unsure of.

The Drifloon whirled, its stringy arms waving in the air like normal balloon strings.

"Oh, I just thought this fan-thing the humans made would help me. It looked like it was generating more wind so I came down here hoping to get a bit of speed boost from it. But… well…" its voice was soft and airy, so Kendel had to listen carefully to hear it clearly. It seemed to reflect the pokemon's balloon-like nature because the voice was like a breeze of air escaping quickly but quietly.

Kendel smiled lightly as he realized that the Drifloon had thought the turbine was generating wind and not running off of it.

"Oh. Okay." Kendel said, "Well, sorry to hear that. These don't generate wind though." He informed the Drifloon.

"They don't? Then what's the point of building them?" the balloon said, sounding a little moody now. It clearly thought something that looked like a fan but didn't generate wind was pretty dumb.

Kendel considered telling it that the humans made electricity from them, but thought better of it… and besides that, an idea had occurred to him.

"Hey… you do you think you might be able to give me a lift? Just up the way your group went? I just happen to be going in the same direction so I was thinking you could get me up there." Kendel asked hopefully. If he could get a lift from the balloon, he wouldn't have to worry about fighting Enzo.

The Drifloon considered the Shaymin's request for a minute then it drifted so it was over Kendel's head. Then the strings gently wrapped themselves around Kendel's torso. The sensation made the former human a little uneasy but he held still. He felt the Drifloon try a couple of times to lift him but he didn't leave the ground at all.

After these attempts at trying to lift him, the Drifloon's strings unwrapped and it hovered out in front of Kendel again.

"Whew… I don't think so. I can't lift much to begin with. Maybe with a little help from the wind but even then, I wouldn't rely on it, we could both end up in the water or worse." The Drifloon said shaking itself side-to-side.

The former human felt a little downcast to find out getting past Enzo wouldn't be that easy.

"Why do you need a lift from me anyways? Can't you walk up that way?" it asked.

"I can… but there's a Shinx blocking my way and he's a little too tough for me to take on."

The balloon jittered.

"A Shinx… ooh, those guys are mean sometimes. I hate 'em…" the balloon commented, mostly to itself then turned to Kendel again, "Well, sorry to hear that. At least you're in a pretty location where you blend in pretty well. Why don't you go look at the flowers while you're here?" it offered.

"I've… already spent a day gazing at them." Kendel said, keeping his patience with the pokemon.

"Oh? Well then… maybe you could try charging past the Shinx before he catches you? I dunno." The balloon tipped side-to-side, its version of a shrug.

Kendel sighed as he realized this pokemon couldn't really help him.

"Well, I can sense another good breeze coming so I gotta go. Maybe I'll see you again next week." The Drifloon said pleasantly and then started watching the skies. After a minute, a breeze indeed came, the Drifloon caught the breeze and flew up into the sky where it soared away on the wind, leaving Kendel on the ground with little to no idea of what to do next.

_Well, that was no help._ The human thought miserably to himself.

He went back around the tree-barrier and looked across the bridge…

_Enzo's over there now… waiting for me to try and come on through… I'm just lucky that human was there or the feline might've chased me all the way over here. But how do I get past him now?_

After pacing around a while, thinking over his options, Kendel found he couldn't think of anything to get past the Shinx. He didn't want to ask a water-type in the river to take him downstream. He didn't know what laid that way and besides that, being in water like that didn't really feel right to him. There would also be the issue of finding a water-type willing to take him that far. It seemed quite unlikely.

He had no idea of what a Shaymin was fully capable of so he didn't know what he could do to fight Enzo… and the Shinx was clearly faster than Kendel. Kendel certainly didn't want to try fighting Enzo only to lose… Enzo probably would kill him just to affirm his victory. The risk was too great.

And his only other option had just been shot down, so to speak. The balloon-pokemon had given him some hope but it couldn't fly with him in tow apparently.

_I certainly don't have wings, so I can't fly by myself…_ Kendel thought.

After a while, his thoughts started aggravating him.

_Guess I'll head back to Floroma and maybe mull the problem over in the flowers._

After all, he knew getting frustrated here wasn't going to help him any. He figured maybe the flowers would inspire some new move in his mind… though he doubted it. At the very least, they'd ease his frustration.

-o-

Kendel picked his way through town carefully, working his way around the humans and glancing at the flowers as he went, trying to spot ones he hadn't noticed before while considering ways to possibly get around Enzo.

He was almost to the grove when he noticed the one he had spotted on his way out: pink… with black speckling. Once again… Kendel felt like he had seen it before.

He glanced around to make sure no humans were looking his way and approached the flower, looking it over carefully. The flower's petals were fairly thick and very large. Larger, in fact, than any of the other flowers he'd seen so far. This flower might not have looked particularly out of place among more exotic breeds.

After a moment, he sniffed and found it had a pleasant scent, though this was no surprise to him as it didn't look _that_ different from all the other flowers around the area, even if it was slightly bigger.

Still, the scent was alluring and Kendel inched a little closer, gently sticking his nose in it, taking in the aroma.

That's when something unexpected happened.

Kendel felt an odd sensation in his gut, like he might've swallowed something that was reshaping him from the inside.

His legs grew in length, he developed a neck and his head became more separate from his body. His appearance changed until one might not have recognized what he once was. When the odd feeling faded, Kendel looked at himself and realized he was a bit taller now and he wouldn't blend into the grass quite so well now.

Which was undoubtedly why several humans had noticed him, if only just then.

_Uh-oh._

Kendel immediately ran for it, a few of the town residents attempting to follow him.

To Kendel's surprise, he found himself running at a blurringly fast speed. His legs were longer, no doubt about it, but even with longer legs, Kendel didn't expect the new ability to run so fast, that the wind actually blew in his new, large ears. He was going much faster than any normal human would possibly be able to match.

It was only a couple of seconds and he was in the grove.

His slight panic and intent to get away from any humans pursuing him led him to charging right up to the ledge that he had jumped down from that morning.

_Wait a minute!_ His mind tried to reason with him, _It'll take you several minutes just to try and climb that. Run somewhere else!_

Something else in him though: simple instinct, drove him to continue on his course, straight for the dirt wall before him.

Without really thinking, Kendel jumped. As a human, he would've hit the ledge partway up and slid back down, likely having hurt himself in trying to do such a thing. In his previous form as a Shaymin, jumping this would've been a hopeless cause and would've had as much chance of getting him up the ledge as trying to swim in the stream alone with his stubby legs.

However, with his new form, Kendel startled himself when he literally made a _flying_ leap and cleared the ledge without the slightest amount of trouble. In fact, he flew through the air several more feet and landed anywhere from five to 10 feet away from the ledge. As he landed on all-fours, he didn't particularly care how far he'd flown… he was still trying to calm his panicky heart from the fact that he had ran so fast, left the ground so easily, and flown like a glider.

_What… what's happened to me?_


	10. Taking to the Skye

**_Here's a chapter that I hope I've portrayed with a good deal of realism.  
><em>**

**_Depicting the process of learning to fly has never looked easy to me. In fact, I bet it's only marginally easier than the activity itself.  
><em>**

**_Anyways, if I can improve this chapter, please give me some tips how.  
><em>**

**_Thank you and enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 10: Taking to the Skye

One transformation had been plenty of trauma for Kendel. Now he had transformed again and his mind was getting the time to fully comprehend it.

He couldn't see his new appearance completely, but Kendel's head featured a pair of large ears with fur that stood out in a bursting pattern, almost like leafy fans. He had a collection of fur atop his head that was green as grass and was rather like hair, set in an ostentatious style that stood up and faced forward, somewhat reminiscent of a mohawk. Everything else from his neck up was white, except his nose, which seemed to be little changed from his previous form: it still protruded outwards from him and it was small and black.

He no longer had grass growing out of his back and his body was as white as ever. Rather, he had fur now, a tuft of it visible on his chest, near his neck. Looking like the ends of a scarf, there were a couple of petals growing from one side of the base of his neck, with the same design as the flower that had been next to his ear in his previous form.

His legs were considerably longer, slender in appearance, and entirely green.

_Did I- Did I evolve?_

That was the only thing Kendel could think of to answer how he had changed like this. However, he had never heard of a pokemon evolving due to a flower of all things.

Thinking about the concept only made his heart pound more.

_I hope this doesn't change me or anything when I get Mew to turn me back…_

On the other hand, Kendel was quickly noticing the advantages he had with this new form.

First and foremost was of course, his sheer speed. He'd moved like the wind back there and jumped over that ledge. No humans would be catching up to him if he ran. He figured the fact that he had jumped so far was due to how fast he had been running.

Another advantage was that he could see a lot better as his body was no longer built so low to the ground. He felt more loose and free. His previous form was so confining… at least it had felt that way.

As he was looking himself over, Kendel noticed the petals at his neck and recognized them.

"These are the same flower petals as that flower that caused this change." Kendel murmured to himself. The petals indeed were a pink, or perhaps a light-red and had black speckling. The petals were bigger than the ones on the flower but they were clearly the same type.

It was no wonder he recognized the flower. It was the same one that had always been right next to his ear. He had been barely able to see the flower before… now he could turn his head a quite a bit more and look around more easily.

A couple of humans came into the grove and looked around, looking fairly mystified.

Knowing he couldn't simply duck into the grass now to hide, Kendel moved further away from the area the humans were coming from and towards the stream on the other side of the grove.

Once at the stream, Kendel considered where to go next.

He didn't want to run through the town and end up having to dodge through all those people, even if he was too fast for them… however, even in this new form, Kendel got the sense he wasn't any better at swimming.

However, there wasn't enough space between the trees and the stream to walk, much less run… not without the risk of losing his footing and tumbling into the stream.

This meant that Kendel was somewhat trapped until the humans decided to move on. He'd made quite a sight, fleeing as he had so he wouldn't have been surprised if one or two people remained in the lower area of that grove for a while.

_So… how to get down-stream?_

He didn't see that water-type (the Buizel) and he didn't think any other water-types would be willing to ferry him down-stream…

Besides that… Kendel was getting the odd feeling that he didn't need a ride on the stream.

_I don't think I can run on water even as fast as I am… I'm not water-type… I'm pretty sure I'm still grass-type._

The petals growing from the nape of his neck was proof of that.

_But if I can get out of here without help, how do I do it?_

Kendel's complete lack of knowledge about this newest form didn't help with answering his dilemma.

He wandered the area for a few minutes… before he noticed his large ears. He couldn't see them by looking out of the corner of his eyes… but when he looked at the stream, he could see his reflection, if only slightly, in the crystal-clear water.

In a way, those large ears looked like fans, but when Kendel looked at them, he cocked his head a few directions, looking at them quizzically. They waved as he thought about them, rotating and moving in a variety of directions, he needed only think and they'd move.

Then inspiration hit as he watched them… when he noticed the fur looked… feathery.

_They look a little like wings!_

Kendel looked up from the stream and experimented with his ears a bit. If they were like wings, they were the oddest pair he'd ever seen… nonetheless, once he started to think of them that way, Kendel was pretty sure his ears were meant to help him steer when in-flight. There was also his brief gliding session when going into the grove. Besides that, his ears seemed rather impractical for other purposes. Something so small with such large ears…

If he had looked at the pokemon he was as a human… he wouldn't have believed himself capable of flight, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that he could fly if he just knew how.

And there laid the problem: Kendel didn't know _how_ to fly, even if he was sure he _could_.

He quickly drew only one conclusion after thinking it over:

"I'm going to have to teach myself…" he mumbled to himself

_I'm going to be going through a crash course in flying… ha ha…_

He grimaced as realized the figurative and literal truth to that thought. He was going to have to be ready to get hurt, as he crash-landed repeatedly…

-o-

Kendel started himself off simply trying to fly short distances. Thus he started off trying to fly from the entrance to the grove, down to the stream and hope that when he flew further, he didn't fly over the stream before he was ready.

His first attempt at flying, he charged forward out of the grove entrance and jumped into the air. He was going exceptionally fast and his ears caught the wind quite easily. However, his first little gliding session in escaping from the townspeople had been almost entirely instinct.

Consciously thinking about the process of flight was another task altogether.

He rose a good five feet or so off the ground and almost immediately his ears cocked such that he dive-bombed straight into the grass directly below.

"Oof!" He ended up with his backside sticking up.

The former human pushed himself to his feet, shaking himself off. The landing left him feeling sore but the fall had been short enough that he wasn't terribly hurt and he simply had a little dirt staining his otherwise white fur.

He walked back over to the entrance to the grove and tried to focus his thoughts on keeping his ears under control as he took off.

He charged forward once more and leapt into the air, letting his legs hang below him. Once more, he had little trouble catching the air and experiencing that initial lift. His ears attempted to angle downwards and he focused on making them stay up. However, it seemed like they were fighting him… and in the end, Kendel lost the fight from the strain on the muscles. He flew only a few more inches before his ears were forced downwards and the Shaymin plummeted the short distance into the ground again.

He was in the same position as his first crash-landing.

Once more, he got to his feet, shaking off dirt and he huffed out a breath.

_Just have to keep trying and learn from my mistakes._ With that in mind, he went back and attempted to fly, trying to fix his mistakes.

-o-

About an hour of flight-practice later… Kendel hadn't flown much further. The stream was still a good distance away… and he swore he might've been wearing away a patch of grass from how often he was crashing into it. He was quite sore entirely down his front and neck.

He got up once more from plowing into the dirt and used one front paw to wipe the dirt off his chest. When he looked at the limb, he paused in wiping himself off and looked his leg over.

It wasn't until then that Kendel had considered the problem had possibly been his legs. Part of it was that his four legs didn't appear to be all that aerodynamic so he hadn't figured they had any part in keeping him airborne or steering him in the air.

Nonetheless, Kendel hadn't been doing much of anything with his legs except running and jumping with them… they otherwise hung under and behind him when he tried flying.

He took a moment to consider how he _could_ use them in flight and realized that the reason his ears kept on angling themselves downwards was likely the position of his legs. His front legs weighed his front down and thus his entire body tried to angle itself downwards.

Taking this possibility into account, Kendel walked back over to his starting point again and made his take-off once more.

This time, he spread his legs out to the sides as much as he could, trying to mirror the spread of the wings on an airplane. The pull downwards on his front-end wasn't so great this time and Kendel flew further.

However, the ground still came up to meet him albeit a little more slowly.

Kendel could sense through his ears where the air was moving upwards to one side and he attempted to quickly angle his ear-wings to turn him in that direction so he could catch the updraft and gain altitude.

What happened was that Kendel ended up doing a barrel-roll through the air and with a yelp, smashed into the ground on his side instead of his chest.

He got up slowly, his head spinning slightly from the whirl the world appeared to have taken when he'd rolled in-air. He shook his head to get his senses back together and reassessed where he was.

He had turned slightly and he was closer to the stream from his flight… but he knew he'd need to learn how to turn.

_Geez, flying's hard… I'm just glad I'm not trying to fly a jet or something like that. At least I heal like this._

Then again, he reminded himself that a jet didn't have to worry about where everything was.

Kendel walked back over to his take-off point and reattempted a flight once more.

-o-

More hours passed… and as the sun was going down, Kendel finally met with success in flight.

By this time, he was smothered in dirt (and some mud) and his fur was more brown than white. His ears were still clearly intact and still moving however he willed. The former human was sore all over, not just his front now due to the countless impacts he'd had with the ground at varying angles.

He was tired… there was no denying that… but he was determined to achieve flight before he went to sleep.

Rather than running forward this time, Kendel crouched low and bounded high into the air, a good 4 or 5 feet, almost enough to leap over most children. As he fell, his ears caught the wind and as soon as Kendel felt his "wings" start to fight gravity, he spread his legs out in front and behind him and momentarily turned his fall into a slight dive.

He then gently angled his ears upwards and let his body follow his ears upwards. He had figured that his entire body was fairly light… most of his weight was in his head, though if poorly positioned, his legs were enough to drag everything else down.

He flew in a nearby updraft and the rising air promptly carried him gently upwards until Kendel was at least 10 feet off the ground.

He felt the air around him… and sensed another updraft to his left. He carefully cocked his head gently to the side and shifted his front legs. His body turned in-air and he smoothly turned into the updraft of air, which carried him higher.

During one of his previous attempts, flying 20 feet off the ground gave him a moment of panic. No human was used to flying or being so high off the ground. When he had panicked, he had lost control and crashed. He felt lucky that that crash landing hadn't resulted in anything broken then.

Now Kendel was focused and he did not let flying so high up disrupt his concentration on the task at-hand.

He focused on two things as he flew: keeping his ears under control… and keeping himself breathing steadily. It wasn't that he was so high that the air was thin… but the thrill of flight seemed to literally take Kendel's breath away. He often found himself forgetting to breathe when he flew, which eventually broke in on his concentration and he'd plummet from the air, panting for air as he got up from his latest crash-landing.

Then came the task of landing.

Kendel angled his ears downwards at gentle angle and he swooped towards the ground. As he near a landing-point, Kendel readied himself for what he viewed as the hard part. Getting closer to the ground, he angled his ears upwards more and more until finally, his body effectively stalled in air and he dropped the short distance to the ground. He landed on all four legs and breathed.

One of his first attempts at landing, he'd tried a running landing similar perhaps to an airplane landing, and had ended up tumbling into the stream. Fortunately, he'd climbed back onto dry ground then and shaken himself off. This had also washed off some of the dirt… though other patches of his fur had been turned a darker brown from the dirt turning to mud. He had to take a few minutes after that to dry out his ears, lest the wet fur be ineffective at keeping him airborne.

He had avoided any further landings in the stream from then on.

As he landed gently for the first time after a fair flight, Kendel finally felt like he had mastered the art of flight.

The human smiled to himself as he looked himself over.

He looked disheveled from the crashing landings and he was a little bruised… but he felt excited. His heart was beating away at high speed, like it was trying to fly too now.

_I did it… I flew! Now if I can pull it off again tomorrow so I get past Enzo._

Kendel walked back into the grove with all the flowers and picked a small corner where no humans would notice him, even if they got up to the higher portion of the grove, and there he settled down to sleep, confident that the next day would find him progressing in his search for Mew. And no Shinx was going to stop him.


	11. Crescent

**_I'm hoping nothing within this chapter comes across as Deus Ex Machina. I might be stretching things a bit here but I think I should be alright._**

**_If I can improve, I always welcome tips.  
><em>**

**_Enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 11: Crescent

Kendel woke up the next day and checked himself over, almost immediately letting out a yelp of surprise when he found himself low to the ground again and his back covered in grass once more.

_What the-? I thought evolution was permanent once it happened!_

He had clearly reverted to his previous state: his legs were short again, he had no neck as far as he could tell nor visible ears and he was certainly nowhere near as fast as he had been before. He was clearly grounded.

He promptly felt a great deal of frustration. After spending an entire day learning to fly… he wouldn't be able to get even a foot off the ground, much less fly now.

Kendel swallowed several curse words and proceeded to sit where he was and silently fume over his wasted time. After only a few seconds though, he decided to get a move on.

_Already wasted one day on an effort that's going to get me nowhere now… no sense wasting more time grumbling about it._

All the same, he was furious and stalked through the grove in a very foul mood.

Had he been human, he might've ravaged the flowers just to vent some steam… but as it was, he was too small to do any real damage.

He decided as he was headed out of the grove, that he might as well go try confronting Enzo and unload his vast amount of frustration on the Shinx.

_Perhaps something will go right for me, for once and I'll scare him so bad, I'll be rid of him. He won't dare fight me again._

Given Kendel's general appearance though, angry or not, he wasn't exactly the image of "fearsomeness"… so these wishful thoughts were highly unlikely to be the case even if he did beat Enzo senseless.

-o-

As furious as he was, Kendel still took care as he left the grove, entering Floroma Town once more and laid low as he went through.

On his way, he noticed the flower that had transformed him the first time. His rage died away slightly as an obvious idea came to him.

_It worked once… why not again?_

The only problem was… this flower, whatever breed it was, was out in the open. If Kendel "evolved" again like he did previously, there were sure to be humans watching and he'd have to run once more.

_Then again… I think I'd be spotted anyways passing through here in that other state._

So this time, Kendel simply was ready to run away. He approached the flower and nuzzled it with his nose, the petals slightly tickling.

He felt that familiar twisting sensation in his body and after a moment, he was transformed again.

As expected, several humans had noticed the little event. They were a little less surprised this time, due to the event having happened just yesterday.

A little to Kendel's dismay, the direct path to the bridge that he normally walked through was blocked by the incoming crowd. Even if he was fast, Kendel would likely be caught or something if he charged into the group headlong. Perhaps they'd scatter out of panic if he did run directly at them… but there was no guarantee of that and besides, Kendel didn't like the idea of terrorizing anyone.

So he retreated in the grove again. One human who had predicted his move, tried to step in the way but Kendel darted around the lone young man at high-speed and he had vanished into the trees before the boy could turn around completely.

-o-

With his flying-form re-attained, Kendel was in a considerably cheerier mood. Before he tried flying past Enzo, he decided to do one more practice flight to make sure he had the art of flying mastered at least on a basic level.

He charged and jumped into the air, spreading his legs out and concentrating on his "wings". Take-off went smoothly and he flew into a rising air-current, allowing it to carry him higher.

Soon, Kendel was soaring above the tree-line.

It crossed his mind as was flying over the trees that he could simply fly to the location beyond where Enzo was waiting. He wanted to gain a bit more altitude first though before he attempted to fly over there so he focused on finding a good updraft. He sensed one quickly enough and flew into it, getting lifted a considerable distance into the sky.

He'd note later that's when his day took a sour turn.

Kendel was turning to fly over to his destination when he was intercepted by a very territorial bird.

"Haaaaah! These are MY skies seedling! Keep low to the ground where you _belong_!"

Kendel saw a very large, black bird with a white crest around its chest region. There was a comb of feathers over its head that pointed out over its eyes like some sort of spear, there was even a bit of red on the end of the point almost like blood.

He didn't notice much else as he was focused on the talons that were coming to snatch him out of the air at intense speeds.

Kendel screamed and his body caused him to instinctively take evasive maneuvers. He barreled-rolled down and to the side, the bird's talons barely grazing his side. The blow still left a considerable gash down his side.

Following that move, Kendel immediately heeded the bird's demand and went into a reckless dive to get out of the skies before it bullied him any further or killed him.

In his haste though, Kendel found himself losing control over his own ability to fly, the pain in his side not helping with his ability to control himself. He was plummeting towards the land below and he was sure with how high he was, he wouldn't survive a crash-landing of this nature.

Thankfully, when he had shot downwards, the bird didn't give pursuit, having defended its territory and driven off the intruder quite efficiently. Having the Staraptor hounding him further likely would've been the death of Kendel one way or another. He was in-trouble as it was. Kendel tried to "pull up" with his ears to go back into a glide and get himself under control again but the strain was far too much for him to simply slow his fall that fast.

Part of the problem was the positioning of his "wings" were ruined by the attack he had just avoided. He managed to figure this out in the few seconds he had by how his ears felt. The rushing air around him made it difficult to correct their positioning though.

Kendel was trying to quickly figure out how to fix this when he looked ahead and realized he wasn't plummeting towards land. Water was just ahead of him and approaching fast.

_Is that the ocean?_

The body of water before him stretched so far and wide that this was the only explanation for what Kendel was seeing. The attack had made him perform a complete turnaround so he was going in the opposite direction he had been intending to go. Not that he had time to think on this at the moment.

_What do I do to get flying again?_

Kendel's mind was panicking. Hitting the water wouldn't be much better than hitting the solid, unforgiving ground and if that didn't kill him, Kendel would've been willing to bet a water-type would devour him while he was floundering on the surface.

With seconds to spare, his instincts gave Kendel an idea that seemed insane, but he was out of options.

Kendel tucked his ears back, streamlining himself. For those few seconds, his drop sped up.

After an instant, Kendel forced his ears back out into their proper position, using as much force on he could. There was a considerable flapping noise as they spread out again. It went without saying that Kendel felt a hard yank and he worried in that split-second that his ears were going to get yanked right off of his head trying to halt his descent.

His body flew up and rather than trying to stop it, Kendel let himself flip over as the alternative would've been some severe whiplash. As he flipped, he tucked his ears in again, like he was flapping them and as he came out of the flip, he spread his wings out again and they caught the wind once more.

Kendel was a foot or so above the water, soaring just over it at a speed that had the wind howling in his ears, tearing at his face, and leaving a slight ripple on the surface of the water just behind him. He could barely see something coming up in the water and he quickly swerved in-air into a nearby updraft of air, which carried him a bit higher before his speed carried him right back out of the updraft. He moved to the side only a small amount as his ears were hurting from the strain they had already endured.

A large missile-shaped shark jumped out of the water where Kendel had been headed for and snapped at air, having missed the Shaymin entirely.

Kendel was still trying to recover from his shock that he had survived that turn of events when a hunk of land came speeding up ahead of him and he hadn't the energy to react in time to try and avoid it. All he could do was brace himself for impact.

He hit a bank of grass, which cushioned his crash-landing only slightly and he was popped back into the air, tumbling through the air without any hope of getting into a flying position again. Kendel's entire side was screaming with agony and his pain did not end there. He hit the ground again, rolling as he did so and bouncing into the air again. He came down again and came to a grinding halt on the dirt.

Amazingly enough… Kendel was still alive. He was quite sure his side had an array of broken, possibly shattered, bones and to say he had scrapes or bruises would've been a sore understatement.

_Ugggggh… at this rate… I might just bleed out… a fast death… might've been better._

Kendel's sight was already fading and he was sure there was a considerable amount of bleeding from various wounds across his body.

Unable to do anything to prevent it, he passed out.

-o-

Kendel was quite surprised when he woke up. He had half-expected to die of blood-loss from his crash-landing. Yet, here he was, alive. He was sure his heart was still beating in his chest… and it certainly was no dream he was experiencing.

Thinking on his injuries from the landing… Kendel felt a great deal of pain and stiffness. He winced… his entire side still searing with pain.

He gingerly raised his head and looked his side over… there was dried blood over his side… an odd green… but given he was a grass-type, Kendel reasoned it was chlorophyll. So it wasn't exactly dried, but rather just coating his side. This made his otherwise white fur, green. He was still in his alternate form so it was quite clear to Kendel that it was daylight and a night hadn't passed yet.

_So much… how the heck did I survive that crash?_

This question was answered when someone spoke to him, making it clear he wasn't alone:

"You are awake I see." Someone spoke, clearly female judging from their voice, "Can you stand?" they had clear concern in their voice.

Kendel tried moving his legs… but one was bent where it should not have been bent. A broken leg, clearly. Attempting to move it only caused a sharp spike of pain that nearly caused Kendel to pass out again.

"No… I'm sorry for asking. I should've realized." The speaker said, sounding apologetic indeed.

_Who is it? Have they been treating my wounds? Or doing something to keep me alive?_

What felt like a very small set of hands gently lifted his broken leg (still causing him some pain, which the individual apologized for) and moved it so that it was in a more comfortable position for Kendel.

Kendel laid his head back down as this was done, unable to do anything to stop the other, whoever it was, even he had wanted to.

Then the individual apparently cleared out anything blocking the sky because whereas a moment ago, Kendel had been lying in shade, he was suddenly coated in a patch of bright sunlight.

"There… that should help you to heal."

_Sunlight? Help me heal?_

At first, Kendel wanted to scoff, but he reminded himself he was a grass-type at the time so… sunlight would obviously allow his body to provide itself with nutrients.

After a moment, the one tending to the former human spoke again, sounding a little puzzled.

"What is wrong? You don't seem to be actively using the sunlight to help…"

Now Kendel was the one puzzled.

_I thought plants did that photosynthesis-thing automatically. What? Do I have to actually __think__ about it to get it to happen?_

A small hand rested itself on Kendel's head, like his mother checking him for a fever. The owner of the hand was still not in a position where Kendel could see them. The hand lifted after a moment and the speaker sounded mildly surprised now:

"Ah… I see."

_See what? Can't this person or pokemon, whoever they are, make a bit more sense?_

"Kendel, isn't it? Try focusing on absorbing the sunlight. That should help."

_What-? How do they know my name now? I didn't mention it. I don't think I've ever been here!_

"Relax… and just do as I've suggested, am I clear?" the voice was gentle and Kendel was sure now that she had seen his confusion.

His mind was a mess… but Kendel decided to take the suggestion this once since it made some sense and tried to focus on the process of photosynthesis… actively willing the process forward.

It wasn't long before he felt the effects. Several wounds across his side closed up as they healed at a temporarily accelerated rate. His leg itched as the bone repaired itself very quickly, faster than he or any human could've ever hoped for in a human state.

After only about half a minute, the vast majority of injuries across Kendel's body had healed themselves. He still felt some pain and quite stiff from lying on the hard ground, but Kendel found he could move again. He felt reinvigorated and he got up, joints quietly popping as he got to his feet.

_Wow… that really patched me up…_ _now then… who's here that's been helping me?_

Kendel turned around and found himself face-to-face with what could've only been a pokemon. He backed up a step to get a better look at the pokemon… and because her presence seemed to have a slightly overwhelming effect on Kendel.

At first, Kendel thought he might've been gazing at an angel. A very feminine angel but…

The pokemon was primarily pink and purple in color with a yellow under-belly. Her general body-shape was like a small boat and hovered in the air without any wings that he could see. She seemed to be wearing a helmet of some sort that, viewed from the side, was shaped like a crescent moon; a pair of beady eyes gazed at Kendel as he continued to take in her appearance. She also had arms that seemed rather long and were also crescent-shaped at her sides, a very small set of hands at the end of each arm, hardly bigger than a child's. And finally, there was large, arcing, ribbon-like… thing that connected her arms where they began towards the back. The arc seemed to rapidly shift between shades of pink and purple and the effect was somewhat hypnotic.

The pokemon's entire visage seemed to glow with a gentle light.

_Whoa… what kind of pokemon is __this__?_

Kendel stared for several moments before he spoke up.

"Ummmm… and… you… are?" he said, one word at a time. He wasn't sure what to think of this pokemon and he was feeling very awkward indeed.

"Greetings, Kendel. Sorry if you're a bit disoriented, but do not worry. I do not mean you any harm. I am Cresselia."

###

**_In case it is unclear: Cresselia more or less instructed Kendel on how to use "Synthesis"._**

**_Anything else that's unclear here, I'll clear up next chapter.  
><em>**


	12. Visiting the Island of Iron

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 12: Visiting the Island of Iron

"Cresselia?" Kendel repeated the name, searching his own memory for any information. He hadn't heard of such a pokemon though before now…

Cresselia nodded, confirming that he had spoken her name correctly.

Looking her over, Kendel did draw one conclusion:

"You're Psychic-type aren't you?" he said, fairly sure of himself. This conclusion was drawn from the fact she was hovering, something that reminded Kendel only too much of Mew.

Cresselia nodded again.

"That is how I know of your name. And I know that you are not originally a Shaymin." She said serenely.

"I trust then that you also know that another Psychic-type is responsible for this… state I'm in, right?" Kendel said, his tone a little bitter as he thought on Mew.

"I am aware of that… I have seen many things and… I will admit this isn't the first time I have seen someone like yourself." Cresselia said a slight note of amusement in her voice.

Kendel was about to comprehend what Cresselia was talking about when she continued on, interrupting his train of thought.

"I imagine you are curious where you are at. This is Fullmoon Island. You came from the south and somewhat surprised me when you crashed here. I managed to treat your injuries enough that you woke up, once you were awake as you know, I simply helped you handle the rest."

The former human had to put aside his thoughts to take in Cresselia's explanation.

_So this is to the north of where I was? I must have flown further off-course than I thought._

It also seemed that he had been mistaken about what direction he thought he had gone. Then again, given the panic he'd been in that entire flight from the moment he had been attacked, it wasn't surprising he had gotten his directions scrambled. He wasn't even sure of how long he had been flying or how far he'd gone.

"I kinda lost control mid-flight due to… some certain circumstances, it's a long story." Kendel explained, "Why are you here anyways?" he asked, looking around. The island had some trees, grass and some fresh water… basic needs to support life… but there wasn't anything present to suggest this island was a home... though Kendel instinctively felt comfortable here.

"An… acquaintance of mine found the island just to the east of here some time ago and decided to stay there. He has some… _unique_ effects on others so he tries to keep himself isolated. I'm here to check on him periodically and make sure he is alright." Kendel couldn't help noticing how Cresselia seemed to be choosing her words and he guessed she was hiding something but he didn't see how this other individual concerned him so he decided against prying. Instead, he decided to get straight to his own issues.

"So, how far is it back to the mainland from here?" he asked, wanting to get back to the grove and fly past Enzo so he could head for Eterna Forest and search for Mew there.

"If you're searching for Mew, you might as well be thorough and investigate Iron Island to the south before you head back to the mainland. You may find him hiding there… or playing around."

"Iron Island?"

Cresselia nodded and proceeded to explain how Iron Island was a small piece of land a little closer to the mainland that people regularly went to and mined for iron and other minerals.

"Sounds like there's going to be plenty of people in there then…" Kendel murmured, not looking forward to trying to get past them.

"In your current form, any humans in the island tunnels shouldn't be a problem for you. Mew though will be a different matter… I have never met him myself, but I do know of him and I know from your memories that he is hiding from you. If he is keeping to the Sinnoh region, then he may be there to keep you looking around the mainland."

Kendel was a little impressed when he realized Cresselia's logic made sense.

"However…" Cresselia continued, sounding grave now, "It is already noon and you may not be leaving that island before sundown if you go now. You do know what happens at that time, correct?"

Kendel remembered how he had woken up this morning to find himself reverted and he realized quickly that the moment the sun went down, he would be stuck on whatever piece of land he was on, land-bound and unable to swim unless he could find that flower again.

"Therefore, I will accompany you to the island." Cresselia declared, "I will not assist you in confronting Mew as this is a matter between the two of you that does not concern me, but if you have need, I can provide you with transport back to the mainland when your business on the island is finished. Is that agreeable?" she asked.

Kendel blinked, a little surprised that he would actually be getting help in some form… he wasn't on his own.

"And if I manage to get Mew to turn me back while I'm there? I'm not sure if you'd be able to transport a human.." Kendel asked, though he was already guessing what Cresselia would do.

"If Mew does not transport you off the island himself, I believe you should easily be able to get a boat-ride back to the mainland from the people there and find your way home. I believe I will be able to tell who you are and return here if that is the case." Cresselia said.

"Well then, shall we go?" Kendel said, seeing nothing else to ask about.

-o-

The flight to Iron Island was relatively uneventful as compared to Kendel's flight that took him to Fullmoon Island. Though Cresselia accompanied him as promised, Kendel didn't dare fly very high up in the air. While he kept a good distance over the water, he kept himself within about 30 feet of the surface and was mindful of other flying pokemon, lest he get harassed again with more terminal results.

On arriving at Iron Island without incident, Kendel flew around the island briefly, taking in its appearance… though there wasn't much to see.

The island did not have much in the way of plant-life or greenery and Kendel could actually see the effects the mining was having on what plant-life was there. The effect was minor partially due to the lack of plants in the first place. If he hadn't been a Shaymin, and thus in-tune with the greenery, he likely wouldn't have noticed.

He could see the only two entrances to the mines and he flew directly into one and landed just inside, looking around cautiously.

There were no humans at the entrance to the mine but Kendel could sense the local pokemon in the vicinity. There were rock and ground-types here and the lack of sunlight compared to everywhere else he'd been, gave Kendel a slight amount of discomfort.

On the other hand, Kendel had been looking for an adventure… he had wanted to explore somewhere new… somewhere like the Chateau in Eterna Forest. The mine wasn't precisely like the Chateau… but to Kendel, there was still some unknown here to explore and look for, and that was just one thing he loved about exploring.

Kendel darted forward, going into the depths of the mines and headed off into a branching tunnel. He quickly came to a halt when he heard people going about their business in the mine which was of course, mining.

He noticed a bit of high ground to his right and leapt up on the rock and he soon was above everything else in the mine, looking down over the darkened tunnel.

There were lanterns here and there though, providing light for the miners, so Kendel could see well-enough to tell where the humans were. He could also hear the occasional sound of a pick working away at the stone. There were Geodude around Kendel (basically rocks with a face and arms) but the rock-types seemed to be determined to act like rocks: they simply stayed in place and stayed motionless like they weren't alive.

Kendel couldn't see absolutely everything so he was keeping an eye on all the shadows he could, trying to spot Mew fooling around somewhere.

It seemed the psychic cat didn't stay around humans though, as Kendel did not see any sign of his target in the darkness after a few minutes.

Not wishing to waste any of the time he had left in his flying form (as he was sure the speed would help him in confronting and beating Mew), once he was sure Mew wasn't present in the chamber and he didn't see any other tunnels leading off from the room, Kendel jumped down from the vantage point and darted off back the way he'd come. Perhaps a human noticed him out of the corner of their eye but by the time they had turned their heads, Kendel was gone, deeper into the mine.

The human-shaymin continued deeper and came to a maze-like series of passages. There were more humans wandering the tunnels and he made his way carefully forward, watching for the people, who were searching for possible iron deposits. Kendel was sure though that none of them would mind trying to add him to their set of captured pokemon and he only wished to fight one pokemon: Mew.

As he proceeded though, humans weren't his only obstacle. A tunneling Onix (essentially a giant rock-snake) came out of the wall in a relatively human-free zone and Kendel quickly hopped back, startled and quite alarmed as he had never seen such a massive pokemon before now.

The moment he experienced that alarm, parts of Kendel's body promptly started sprouting leaves, readying itself almost automatically to defend itself.

The Onix noticed the relatively tiny grass-type off to its side and took Kendel's reaction to be a sign of hostility, not simple surprise.

The giant snake's tail came around and attempted to smash Kendel into the ground but he briskly moved out of the way and the leaves fell off, Kendel's mind focused on the Onix. Their target decided, the plant matter shot at the Onix and bombarded it full in the face.

The rock-type didn't last under this extremely effective attack and to Kendel immense surprise, the snake toppled to the ground, unconscious.

_Whoa. Did I really hit it that hard?_

Kendel understood some type match-ups for pokemon… but he hadn't expected himself to be quite so effective against something so much bigger. He had expected the rock-type to stand up to him more than that…

The crash of the Onix hitting the ground pulled Kendel's mind off of this tangent though and he promptly focused on leaving the area before humans came to investigate.

Once he was away from the unconscious Onix, Kendel looked around more.

He edged past another human examining the rock and reached what looked like a lift going up.

_Looks like I've hit the deepest part of the mine._ Kendel thought to himself.

He looked around, one last search for Mew… and if the cat wasn't here, Kendel would quickly make his way out of the mine and get back to the mainland of the Sinnoh region before the event of the sun setting took away any ability to fly. Cresselia may have been present and willing to help, but Kendel didn't want to rely on her if he could help it.

Glancing up, Kendel noticed a high ledge where no human would be able to reach him and he'd have a good vantage point of the area so Kendel made a leap for the ledge. He landed on a lower segment of rock and jumped from there the remaining distance.

_I really could get used to this form…_ Kendel thought, despite himself. He liked the vast level of mobility he had in this state.

Then he reminded himself that he was trying to find Mew so he would be human again… he was no pokemon at heart.

_I never wanted to be transformed… and if I stay like this, I'm not going to be living happily... not really._

At that moment though, Kendel wondered if he was convinced of this statement's truth… would he really be happy to be human again? There was a lot he could do now… even if he couldn't communicate with people, there were pokemon… not all were friendly, but then humans weren't so different in that regard anyways.

As these errant thoughts wandered through his mind, he spotted something in the shadows and when he was sure of what he was seeing, any thoughts of staying as he was vanished.

Mew was teetering about through the air in a small space, looking every which way as he looked around the mine, taking in the sights himself, acting ever the innocent child. The legendary was keeping to a fairly confined area which no humans were anywhere near at the time. In fact, it looked like a portion of the mine that the miners had lost all interest in for reasons outside Kendel's understanding.

All he cared about was that he had sighted his target.

"I _won't_ mess up this time…" Kendel murmured resolutely to himself. He then hopped off the ledge and swooped down on Mew.

Mew was understandably startled when the flying Shaymin plowed into him with a yell.

Kendel tumbled sideways and quickly got to his feet, ready to fight. He then promptly sprouted an array of leaves and lashed his head about like he was wielding a whip with his mouth. This hurled the leaves at the psychic feline with additional force.

Mew quickly picked up on what was happening though and counter-attacked even as Kendel attempted to press his assault. Said-counter attack was of course, a psychic pulse.

Due to its very nature, this wasn't an attack that Kendel could dodge like the Onix's tail and so the force slammed Kendel's mind.

Having been hit by this once before already, Kendel was somewhat prepared for it. Nonetheless, it still staggered him on impact, giving him a sizable headache. He remained standing though, obstinate and refusing to fall so soon.

The salvo of guided leaves hit Mew moments after, something the cat shielded his face against but otherwise was relatively unharmed.

Kendel didn't let his aching head distract him and shot forward again, tackling Mew violently.

Mew tumbled with his opponent before throwing him off again and launched another psychic attack on Kendel, who impressively, despite the force slamming against his mind, was so focused and so determined to beat Mew, that the attack seemed to have no effect.

With a vehement yell, Kendel jumped at Mew and lashed out at him.

Kendel would reflect later that he didn't know how he had attacked as he did, but the air itself seemed to strike Mew, cutting the hovering feline like a sword.

"W_aaaaa!_"

Mew actually screamed out of pain, the sound reaching Kendel's ears and echoing in his mind. It stuck a chord in Kendel's heart and for a moment, he wondered if he had actually fatally harmed Mew. Even if he was angry with Mew, Kendel was not a killer so he was actually concerned for Mew. As a result, he hesitated, thinking he had possibly won and he didn't wish to inflict further harm on the cat.

The truth was though: he had simply surprised Mew, catching him off-guard with the rather powerful direct attack. As soon as he had recovered from his moment of shock, Mew immediately struck back at Kendel with his small fist.

Despite his size and cute appearance, Mew's blow was nearly as staggering at his psychic pulses. The air was knocked out of Kendel, as he felt like he had just been slugged by a boxing champion and he tumbled across the ground before coming to a halt against the wall, shaded in a dark corner.

Once again, Kendel found himself unable to get up and his awareness fading into darkness.

"_Nice fight. You didn't win. But I enjoyed it this time. You know the drill though, see you later!_" Mew said simply and flew off, leaving Kendel to curse between his teeth as he passed out for the second time that day.

###

**_Hmmmm..._**

**_I bet this could be better. Any tips would be much appreciated.  
><em>**


	13. Reflections

_**Been a while since I updated, hasn't it?**_

_**I've been busy with life, but I'm trying to get a chapter in when I can.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 13: Reflections

Mew visited Kendel as he remained unconscious, in his mind of course. In the waking world, Mew had retreated, though his psychic connection to Kendel remained at all times.

"I see you found a Gracidea, which I'm betting you found at that town, didn't you?"

"Grace-what?" Kendel said, somewhat blearily as he was only just coming to realize Mew was chatting with him again.

Mew didn't seem to notice he didn't understand though and plowed onwards.

"I told you, you could do some things I can't." Mew said almost tauntingly, "You _still_ sure you want to be turned back? Or do you still want to play our little game of Tag?"

Kendel wasn't sure if the cat actually wanted him to give up or not… then again, he was still trying to get his pain-filled head back in order so his thoughts were a little scrambled. Nonetheless, he gave a clear answer:

"No. I'm going to hunt you down again… and you _will _turn me back…" Kendel declared, trying to keep his resolve strong.

"Well, aren't we determined?" Mew giggled. Kendel didn't even bother trying to move even as annoying as Mew's laughter was, he was resigned at this point to the fact that trying to catch Mew or do anything to him in this mental realm would lead nowhere.

"Why'd you transform me anyways? I didn't wish to be transformed…" Kendel said.

"You made a wish. I was feeling nice enough to grant it." Mew said simply, "Didn't we already discuss this?" The pokemon asked, cocking his head.

"But I didn't say I wanted to be turned into a pokemon… I said I wanted to be like _you_. Meaning I wanted freedom… I wanted to be able to have fun like you and… ugh… I just wanted to stop being so _bored_…" Kendel groaned as he finished.

Mew blinked and stared, as if Kendel had said something… well, the look made Kendel feel like he had just said something stupid or silly.

Finally, the feline spoke up:

"What else was I supposed to change? I couldn't see anything else to change about you that you couldn't do yourself. So I just did the best I could." Mew said with a shrug, like he was being blamed for doing a shoddy job. "Silly human…"

Kendel was taking a minute to ponder Mew's words when the cat turned and started flying off, leaving once more.

"Wait! You couldn't see-" Kendel trailed off when he realized that Mew had already departed.

"Rgh… what did he mean by that?" The boy grumbled, now a little frustrated by his confusion. He drifted off, his consciousness fading back in his own mind.

-o-

When Kendel woke up, he looked around to find himself quite alone. He could see some footprints from humans who had come investigating but judging from the way he was in shadow, it seemed likely that any investigating humans had overlooked him or something. There wasn't anything of actual interest in this small space after all, Kendel aside. Who would expect to find a pokemon like him in a mine of all places?

Kendel got up and stepped out into a mild amount of light to find he was fairly slow and one look at himself told him why:

He had reverted. He could barely see, but it was clear enough that he wasn't in flying-form anymore.

_Great… it's probably night outside now. I guess I'll have to get a ride with Cresselia._

He really had been hoping he wouldn't have to bother Cresselia with getting him off this island… but circumstances now demanded that he either find a way off the island or he'd be staying there for the rest of his life.

He made his way over to a lift that was below an opening overhead. A light was coming from the opening and Kendel could tell it wasn't light from a lantern so he figured it was moonlight.

Looking over to the lift… Kendel could tell he couldn't do anything to operate it and get it to take him up to the surface. The control panel for the mechanical tool was well over his head and there was no way Kendel could get up to it.

However, the lift was largely shrouded in shadow and so he tucked himself into one corner of the lift when he heard footsteps coming.

Because it was dark, the man who stepped onto the lift didn't notice the little grass-type stowing away. The miner had been working all day and lost track of the time. Some of his fellows were such enthusiasts for mining and being among the rock and steel-types in the mine, that some of them stayed over the night in the mine… not him though.

Kendel tried to keep whatever he could fit behind, between himself and the human. Looking at the average man like this, the former human could understand why some pokemon got a little spooked around humans… close up, the miner looked rather huge to Kendel's perspective and he couldn't help feeling a little scared despite himself.

The lift reached the top without issue and the miner walked off. Kendel quickly moved into a nearby patch of shadows off the lift before the machine possibly took him back down. The miner didn't notice him and proceeded outside. Once he was sure no more people were around, Kendel scurried out of the mine himself and looked around.

He was only a little ways away from the other entrance to the mine… and it was night as he had suspected. Stars dotted the sky and there was a half-moon in the sky, waxing in size night-by-night.

_Alright… where's Cresselia?_

It didn't take Kendel long to find Cresselia. The psychic-type was flying around the island, keeping out of sight of humans, but watching over the island. When she was visible, she glowed with a light not unlike the moon's light, though there was a different quality to the light; still, this made her easy to spot when she was out in the open. She soon spotted Kendel and flew down to him.

She gave him a gentle smile upon seeing him in his earthbound form.

"I gather you were unsuccessful." Cresselia said, a slightly apologetic edge to her voice, "Do you wish to head to the mainland?"

Kendel sighed as there was certainly no point denying he'd failed to beat Mew, he then nodded to Cresselia and she helped him climb onto her.

"How'd you know Mew was here anyways?" Kendel asked as they started to fly away from the island.

"I didn't." Cresselia said calmly, "However, Iron Island is not a place known to all… and I guessed the Mew might be hiding here. You could've searched the mainland for years and never found him until you heard about the island. It's an isolated location. I knew that you didn't know about Iron Island, so I thought it best to advise a search there before you headed back."

_No doubt she knows that from reading my mind, the same way she learned my name._ Kendel thought, a little sulkily, _Bloody psychic-types… why couldn't Mew have at least turned me into one instead of this?_

Kendel looked at himself with a bit of jealousy burning away in his mind.

"Why'd you help me anyways, Cresselia? I didn't do anything for you… I just crash-landed on your island." Kendel asked. The question had been buzzing in the back of his mind…

Cresselia slowed a little as she flew, though Kendel didn't notice. Then she answered.

"It is simply my nature. I love to help others who are in need of help. The gratitude others regularly express to me for my assistance is always gratifying. Even if it is not directly expressed to me, I receive gratitude from the humans nearby whenever I help them as well." Cresselia explained, then she chuckled lightly.

Kendel blinked as he didn't see anything particularly amusing about what she'd just said and so he asked what was so funny.

"In your travels so far," Cresselia said, "Have you heard that Shaymin, such as what you are now, are known as the pokemon of gratitude?"

The scientists back at Sandgem hadn't mentioned this around Kendel so he hadn't been aware of this fact. He looked himself over, trying to see how this pokemon-body had anything to do with gratitude.

Cresselia seemed to sense his mild confusion and smiled gently as she glanced back at him.

"When you see someone else receive help and they express their thanks… pay attention to them. I believe you will know what I mean when that time comes." Cresselia said, her tone as serene as ever.

_And you can't just tell me what's so special… why?_ Kendel thought somewhat sarcastically.

-o-

Kendel's thoughts wandered over the various issues and questions in his mind as the trip back to the mainland continued. He reflected on the battle he'd just had with Mew… that last attack he had used was new to him… and he got the sense that performing it in his present state would be hard.

He was also still puzzling over what Mew had said.

The words were clear enough… but Kendel didn't understand. When he tried to understand it, to him, there wasn't anything that made sense about it.

_What did Mew mean by asking what else could he have changed? There are so many things he could've done with me besides transform me to make him more like him, aren't there? If he was granting a wish like that, he shouldn't have had to transform me._

The real answer was eluding Kendel's mind though and he continued to be confounded by Mew's claim.

When he finally decided to simply set the issue aside, Kendel focused on the last concern: where was Mew now?

_He probably hasn't backtracked. He's somewhere else in Sinnoh I haven't been yet. Maybe Eterna Forest? In the Chateau even…_

It was a start and once Cresselia had flown down and come to a stop in the flower grove just outside Floroma, Kendel had his destination in mind.

As he disembarked, Cresselia asked a few questions:

"Where you do you plan to search next?"

Kendel explained his thoughts that Mew could be at the haunted manor, the Chateau in the forest. Cresselia nodded in response to this.

"Though it is filled it ghost-types, it would not surprise me if Mew is around there. A very sensible start."

Kendel hopped down to the ground below and turned back to Cresselia.

"Well… I guess you'll be headed back to your island now?" He said as he didn't expect her to be helping him any further.

"Yes. I have other business to attend to as well. But I am happy to have been of service."

Kendel smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks for the ride Cresselia… I would've been stuck without your help." He said, and knowing how difficult getting back here would've been otherwise, he felt a great deal of gratitude. He thought he felt something on him but when more nothing happened, the former human just ignored whatever had touched him.

Cresselia just smiled for a few moments, gazing at Kendel, before nodding again, accepting his thanks. Then she flew off, vanishing behind the tree branches overhead.

Kendel turned as she left and breathed in, taking a few seconds to brace himself for what lay ahead. He exhaled and headed out to Floroma Town.


	14. A Shock and a Scare

**_Finally finished a new chapter. Sorry I haven't been updating. Life's in the way.  
><em>**

**_I'll try to keep new chapters coming... but don't expect them too often.  
><em>**

**_Still... enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 14: A Shock and a Scare

_Alright, I don't have forever once I've got that flying form again. Time to go find that flower again and get going to the Chateau._

Kendel started to head out of the grove, but then glanced back at the flowers all around and had an idea.

_I wonder…_

He started looking through the flowers. It had just occurred to him that the flower that allowed him to fly was possibly in this grove, just waiting to found. Much to his pleasure, he did find the flower he was searching for, growing in the midst of the innumerable flora. A human likely would've overlooked it, but being about level with the flowers allowed Kendel to notice what he was searching for with greater ease.

He brushed up against the flower gently and after a second, he felt the change. He shook himself down and grinned as he felt that sense of loose freedom once more. Gravity wouldn't hold him down so long as he had this flower handy.

He considered doing something else, hoping it would help him with his search, but he decided against it.

_I could pick the flower and take it with me… however I doubt it would last longer than a day or two, then it would probably wither and it wouldn't be any more use to me._

So Kendel left the flower where it was in the grove, satisfied with the fact that he had his flying form without drawing human attention.

He left the grove for the stream to the north. Once there, he took off into the air and flew downstream, and going over the trees, towards the path going up to Eterna Forest. Like his previous flight, the encounter with the Staraptor was still fresh on his mind so Kendel kept fairly low to the ground. High enough to soar over any land-bound trouble, but low enough to avoid drawing attention from territorial birds defending their air-space.

He flew high over the landscape, noticing humans below that he wouldn't have to deal with as he soared over their heads.

_I don't know how I'd really get around without this flying form… I'd run into far too many people and have to deal with too many trainers wanting to capture me._

He couldn't see Enzo in the tall grass anywhere, but he was so high up and the Shinx was probably in-hiding to ambush him, so it didn't particularly surprise Kendel that he couldn't spot the aggressive feline. He wouldn't have to worry about him anymore anyways. Enzo could wait there to ambush him for the rest of the year for all Kendel cared. He had other things to do, more than waste his time trying to fight off the Shinx.

Kendel gently dived as he neared what he knew to be Eterna Forest. He could see his old hometown to the north-east from high in the air.

He tried to steer around so as to avoid being spotted by any humans in the area just outside the forest and landed near the trees.

"Alright… need to go find the Chateau in here." He murmured to himself and headed into the forest.

The forest was as the boy had always remembered it. He could smell the plant-life, the extreme fresh air, and the entire forest was a vibrant green everywhere he looked. Any other day, Kendel might've relaxed a little under these conditions and enjoyed the atmosphere of the forest.

Right now though, he was focused on finding the Chateau to search it for Mew.

He headed in, keeping to tall grass and clusters of trees, avoiding trainers out in the forest, looking to catch bugs or train their loyal pokemon.

At one point, he accidentally headed the wrong way and found himself at a rock that he almost mistook for a mound of grass. It was absolutely covered in moss.

"I don't think I've seen a pokemon like you in this forest before…"

Kendel jumped slightly, thinking for an instant that a trainer had spotted him. When he turned to see who had spoken, he found himself looking at a pokemon.

This one would've blended in with the plant-life quite nicely as much of the pokemon was green and its body featured a lot of leaf-like appendages, such as its tail, its ears, and a somewhat quirky curl of fur on its head. Its eyes were a solid, honey-like color and looked quite soft.

Kendel relaxed just slightly, relieved that he at least wouldn't be fighting a trainer's team.

"Er, I've been around, just hiding a lot…" Kendel half-lied, "Could you tell me where a… structure built by the humans is around here?" Kendel asked, not sure if pokemon knew the name of the building was the "Chateau". He wanted to get his bearings again so he was asking for directions. The Leafeon blinked in mild surprise at this question.

"Are you talking about that one place humans haven't lived in for years?" Kendel nodded and the pokemon tilted its head wonderingly at him "Why would you want to go to that place? There's nothing but unpleasant ghost-types there. They only want to try and scare the wits out of anyone who wanders in there."

"A-er, friend of mine apparently wandered in there and I heard he got lost. So I want to go looking for him." Kendel said, thinking fast and half-lying again.

"Hm… must be a good friend if you care that much about them. The old human building is off that way." The Leafeon said with a kind smile as he pointed off, deeper into the forest.

Kendel nodded, politely thanked the pokemon and headed in that direction, though he paused as he was proceeding away to glance back at the Leafeon.

_I've never seen a pokemon like that… even in all my time in this forest. I don't even know what it exactly is, though judging from the appearance, it's a safe bet it's a grass-type._

He tore his eyes away though and refocused on headed for the Chateau.

About an hour of careful movement through the forest later, avoiding humans, running from most fights (mostly bug-types wanting to nibble on the grass growing out of Kendel), and navigating the maze of trees, Kendel finally arrived at the other entrance to the forest that he had always taken as a human.

_The Chateau should be somewhere around here if memory serves…_

And sure enough, Kendel spotted the run-down fence that he had always climbed over as a human to get to the Chateau. There were small saplings growing in the fence, tearing it up and speeding up the decay of the old fence.

Kendel squeezed through a gap in the fence and headed through the darkening grass, the dark building looming ahead.

The front door was, as always, left ajar. In all his excursions into the old house, he never bothered to close it completely. Who would really care? He had always been sure the ghost-type pokemon inside didn't. They cared more about giving him goosebumps and terrifying him.

Kendel gently nudged the door open a little further and headed inside.

Unlike the forest outside, the Chateau always made Kendel considerably more wary. He knew what was in here and wasn't about to let the presence of ghosts disturb him or frighten him.

"Alright Mew… where are you…?" Kendel murmured, looking around the foyer of the Chateau for any immediate signs. He then headed into the house, beginning his search.

As he searched, Kendel heard a voice or two, which he assumed to be the local ghosts, curious about a grass-type coming into their dwelling. They seemed to find his courage in coming in here amusing as he could hear the occasional chuckle mixed in with the other background voices. However, so long as the ghosts didn't show up, Kendel ignored all this and focused on his search.

He looked in the dining room, the store cupboards, the janitorial locker… he searched everywhere for his quarry.

In fact, Kendel cursed when his form suddenly shifted and he found himself in his grounded-state again.

_Drat! I must have lost track of time… it's getting late._

This was bad news for Kendel for two reasons: one was his loss of flight that had just occurred. Unless he came across the flower again somehow, he wouldn't be flying anywhere from here on out. The second was the fact that dusk was coming… and when night fell, Kendel was quite sure the ghost-types of the Chateau would become considerably more active. He was expecting they'd begin to pester him when it was fully dark out, trying to get a fright out of him.

_I need to hurry up and find Mew, then get the heck out of this place!_

Kendel's search came to a close as he ended in a small room. There had been no sign of Mew in the building whatsoever.

_Ergh… blast! Was he never here to begin with!?_

The Shaymin groaned as he realized he had just wasted the entire day in a fruitless search.

Then things just got worse.

It was quite dark out now and Kendel was aware he would have charge past several ghosts on his way out… he was just contemplating how to best accomplish this task as quickly as possible, when the old television set in the building suddenly came to life.

This actually startled Kendel, as in his previous expeditions into this house, he had tried to turn on the TV, just experimenting with it, only to find the old set didn't work. After a hard mashing of the power switch, the TV would turn on, but even then, the thing displayed nothing but static and white noise.

Kendel hadn't touched the TV and he hadn't been hearing any ghosts at that moment, so the fact that it came to life like this took him completely off-guard.

_Wait! I thought the ghosts around here couldn't really manipulate anything around here. They just make noise and try to jump out at me._

Kendel was looking around for the culprit Gastly that was around the room trying to scare him when he heard a chuckle nothing like any that he had ever heard here. It sent a chill running down his spine.

"Eheh… heh heh heh… heh…"

The soft, gentle laugh was weirdly distorted and sounded like the laugh from someone who had gone insane…

"Friends? Friends here? Play?"

Kendel focused on where the voice was coming from and realized the voice was issuing from the speakers of the TV set. The screen still displayed nothing but static.

…_I don't think that voice was from a television program…_

Then something showed up on the screen.

"Friends? Are you friends? Will you play? I so lonely… come play."

The former human backed away from this strange face on the TV… it was a pure orange with disturbing eyes that seemed to glow a neon-green.

"Er… no thanks… I'll pass on playing today." Kendel said, unable to hide a note of fear in his voice. This thing was seriously disturbing to him.

"Come… I bored… I PLAY!" the voice said, now demanding and quite suddenly, electricity arced out of the television set and Kendel, reacting on reflexes, dove to the side to avoid getting electrocuted. He couldn't avoid it entirely though and the electricity tagged him on the back.

It was an intense shock and Kendel found himself grateful that he was rather grounded as he was so the electricity didn't hurt as bad as it would've otherwise.

"I'm not interested in playing with the likes of _you_!" Kendel yelled at the TV and attempted to escape the room.

"No! Don't leave! I want friend! STAY!"

Electricity arced from the TV once more and Kendel hopped back as it struck the area between him and the door.

"Ergh… fine… you wanna play?" Kendel rounded on the talking TV "Then play with _this_!" he then charged at the TV, which he jumped at and slammed himself into the screen, eyes shut tight.

This jarred the entire set and, to Kendel's surprise, something actually fell out of the TV set.

The thing was scarcely bigger than Kendel himself. A simple orange ball with those same eyes from the TV and an odd aura of electricity around it that seemed to shape into a pair of lightning bolts before it, like a set of hands. The simple smile on the pokemon's face gave Kendel the impression that this thing was of a disturbed state of mind. It wasn't a rational thinker.

"Eheh heh heh. Play. Play! _Play!_" it said and unleashed another burst of electricity at Kendel. Kendel recovered from his surprise at seeing the thing's true form and reacted.

"Leave me alone! You-you _freak!_" Kendel yelled, diving out of the way again, and launching a barrage of homing leaves at the pokemon.

The leaves slammed, unerringly into their target and Kendel's opponent, much to his surprise and discomfort, actually laughed some more.

"Fun! Play more! _Play!_" It demanded again, sending more electricity at Kendel and he was forced to run around the room to avoid getting shocked again.

_What the hell is this thing and why does keep demanding I play, then tries shocking me!?_

Kendel unleashed more leaves at the pokemon and it actually frowned, its face put on a pout as its attacks continued to miss and Kendel battered it some more.

"Stay! I play! _Have fun_!" it said, sounding more like a spoiled 3-year-old than ever. Its last words were accompanied by a sudden charge at Kendel which made his heart jump and he froze, instinctively bracing himself for the hit. Instead though, his opponent stopped short and gave him a severe shock of electricity, causing him to scream from the pain.

The orange ball darted away, laughing like it had just pulled a hilarious prank on Kendel. Kendel got back to his feet, weakened somewhat from pain but still steady on his feet.

_It… I can't believe this! This thing finds it funny to hurt me?!_

All the ghosts around the Chateau had never hurt Kendel… not like this. They'd scared him once or twice… they'd even leave him wondering in a state of paranoia… but they had never harmed him.

_Alright… I'm gonna teach this thing a lesson!_

Angry now, Kendel acted on instinct and a ball of energy gathered in front of him.

"You wanna play? Play with THIS then, bully!" Kendel yelled and violently launched the orb of natural energies at his opponent.

The attack caught the orange ball off-guard.

"Hey! No fair!" it whined. Kendel didn't care though and as it turned to complain at him, Kendel immediately followed up with another violent barrage of leaves.

It let out a distorted cry of pain as it dropped to the ground, the electrical aura around it fizzling.

Kendel marched up to the orb and glowered down at it.

"If you're gonna play with others, you shouldn't be playing rough like that. That _hurt!_" Kendel said, quite harshly.

"Rotom… just… want play… lonely… so lonely… nothing to do…" it moaned softly, almost as if it were dreaming "Rotom… eheh heh… heh…fun…"

The ball then seemed to pass out.

"Nothing to do, huh?"

Kendel blinked as he heard this and he found himself wondering about this pokemon… apparently named Rotom…

_It said it's bored? It seems so child-like, I doubt it was lying. It really was just looking for something to do?_

Kendel shook his head though. He had already wasted enough time in this room

_Mew's not here… I need to get a move-on… maybe Mew's in the cave to the east of Eterna…_

So, Kendel turned and headed out of the room. He moved warily through the Chateau, going for the exit. He managed to evade the other local ghosts as they drifted about the house, looking for victims to terrify and he finally reached the front doors, which he crept out of and back out into the forest.

He couldn't help thinking on Rotom though…

_I wonder if I might've been like that at some point in my boredom? Or I could've been…_

Kendel shook his head again though, discarding these thoughts… he needed to get back to searching for Mew…

So he headed for Eterna City.


	15. Old Town

**_I feel like this chapter could be better, so if there's any tips I could get, they're always appreciated._**

**_At any rate, I hope you enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 15: Old Town

As Kendel stepped out of Eterna Forest and towards the city, a sense of nostalgia eased over him. He still remembered the area like he had only moved away from the place yesterday.

Before him was a pond with a small, somewhat winding bridge going across it. As usual, there were fishermen on the bridge, patiently waiting for a bite as they sat, quietly watching their lures in the pond. As a human, Kendel had frequently walked across the bridge, dropping a pleasant "hello" to each present as he went towards the forest. These were people Kendel had gotten used to seeing and he had stopped on his way every now and then to ask how the fishing was going. The results seemed to always be the same but they always welcomed his company warmly.

A small, fond smile graced Kendel's features upon seeing this familiar sight.

_It's been too long… I like this pond… so much better than that ocean._

Looking at this, Kendel found it no wonder he had preferred Eterna City to Sandgem. The place just felt like it had so much more atmosphere to it. He could smell the water and the clean air carried a pleasant scent from the forest. The moon reflected on the water beautifully.

Kendel didn't head across the bridge as he was. Fishermen or not, the humans on the bridge would be interested upon seeing pokemon like him and even if they were all about the water-type fish from the pond, it was still possible they'd be interested in capturing him if he wandered in plain sight like that. So, Kendel headed up and around the pond, taking an alternative route that avoided the bridge while going through some tall grass near the forest. He edged around a Ponyta grazing in this patch, wary of fire-types, and headed for Eterna City while avoiding human eyes.

As he approached the entrance to Eterna City, Kendel glanced around, taking in the place of his former residence again and re-familiarizing himself with it.

Eterna City had an "old" feel to it. It was like it had been there for decades upon decades, possibly a century, though it wasn't quite _that_ old. The buildings were fairly tall, though not as big as some he'd heard of in other lands… other regions. In the back of the city was a building that stood out over the others. It had a rather unsettling air about it… however that structure had long been abandoned and its mystique was mostly lost. Kendel had heard about some sort of fiasco with a group that had once run that building, but something had happened and he had never gotten more details about events. The building was still yet to be torn down or remade into something else.

The rest of Eterna was mostly smaller buildings, compacted together and many of them were speckled with dust. Nonetheless, the city had a homely air about it and Kendel wondered why he had had to move away from such a pleasant town, lower costs or not.

The ground in this area of the city was predominantly rock and pavement. There was really little in the way of grass here, which concerned Kendel slightly as he considered this. There was little in the way of places where Kendel could hide in-plain-sight. Not with all the lighting for the streets.

Uneasy from the likelihood of being spotted, Kendel walked towards the city, looking for any humans in the immediate area. He kept close to nearby sign, the shadow of which seemed to hide him fairly well as he looked for an opening to charge in and find somewhere to hide.

Though most of the city was rock, the area around the abandoned building had grass and trees, so Kendel figured getting over there would be a good start on his way to getting through the city and to the mountain on the other side.

When he thought no one was present to notice, Kendel sprinted out from under the sign and raced along the fence.

His attempt didn't go unnoticed and he heard some exclamations from the local residents about a pokemon running free in the city. However, he just ignored this and pushed himself to run faster. He met with the wall of shrubbery surrounding the abandoned building and squeezed himself through a gap and ran deeper into the area, hiding around the building as people gathered near the area where he had squeezed through, making observations about what they'd seen.

He took a moment to huddle himself down into the nearby grass and look inconspicuous amidst the grass in case anyone climbed the fence or otherwise made their way into the area to look for him. He also tried to ease up his breathing from the brief sprint he'd made.

_Alright… I'm in… now to get through… and get out without being caught…_

About ten minutes later, Kendel was just about to get up (as most of the people had gone back to their business) when he saw someone at the line of shrubs that made his heart nearly stop.

Eterna City was home to a pokemon gym. A place where trainers on their way through could stop in, have a battle… and attempt to prove themselves to the gym leader that ran the place. They did this for the badge that awaited them if they beat the gym leader so they could enter the League far to the east.

The gym leader of Eterna City was a girl named Gardenia, and Kendel knew her by sight quite well, even in the low light of the night. She had predominantly orange-colored hair, possibly dyed as some of it was black underneath and brown eyes. She tended to wear a black shirt that exposed much of her midriff with a short, grass-green cloak over it and a set of brown cargo shorts (with a belt) and hiking boots.

He'd seen Gardenia around Eterna City repeatedly. He'd even chatted with her once or twice. He knew she was a kind person at heart. She cared for pokemon and people alike.

However, he also knew that she was trainer, being a gym leader… and she favored grass-type pokemon above all. Kendel quickly guessed why he was seeing her at the edge of the area, looking out at grounds around the building he was hiding around.

_She probably heard about a pokemon, namely me, rushing over here and came to investigate._

She was making him extremely nervous, as he was obviously a grass-type himself. If she spotted him, he had little doubt she'd make a point of collecting him for her team. And as much as it might've been an honor to be in a gym leader's team of pokemon, Kendel did not want to be captured by anyone, let alone a gym leader, even one as nice as her.

Under the circumstances, Kendel wanted to completely avoid being seen by the gym leader. If she spotted him, he doubted he would be able to get away from her, or beat her team of pokemon by himself. He was only one pokemon and most trainers that had ever challenged her had a team of at least two or three at the ready to take her on.

Kendel was frozen in place, keeping absolutely still, watching her covertly… praying she would not spot him or come looking around the area. He wasn't sure if his camouflage would fool her, given she was a grass-type expert.

Of course… fate seemed to have it in for Kendel.

Gardenia didn't seem to have noticed him, but she apparently decided to come look around. She pulled out a pokeball, called out the Roserade inside and had the pokemon follow her in for protection.

_Aw nuts!_

As she was focused on calling her pokemon out, Kendel quickly got up and edged away so he was out of direct-sight. Even in the darkened area, he wasn't going to take chances.

He heard her foot-steps coming around the building to search and Kendel quickly backed up, then turned and ran around the other side of the building when her back was turned.

Gardenia was murmuring something to herself, possibly wondering if a pokemon was actually around the area.

He fled from her quickly and headed around the building as she was investigating one side. He planned on escaping out while she was looking elsewhere around the building. In his haste, he tripped through, making a slight amount of noise, which drew her attention. No doubt, he had also gotten the attention of her pokemon companion.

Cursing to himself in a voice he strained to keep quiet, Kendel scrambled to his feet again and continued around the building as his hunter walked back around and came to look around the area she'd heard the noise.

He noticed a small spot near a large tree that he could possibly duck into. It looked like somewhere he might blend in quite well.

Unable to see anyway to get past Gardenia without being spotted at present, Kendel ran over to this hiding place and slotted himself into the space, curling up and trying to hide anything that didn't look grassy on him.

He heard her footsteps approach the area.

"Hm… is it up in the tree somewhere…?" Gardenia was mumbling as she stood practically over him. Kendel was both feeling dread and relief at that moment and his heart seemed to be beating in his ears.

On the one hand, she apparently wasn't seeing through his disguise, the darkness probably helped with that… on the other hand, she wasn't moving away either and Kendel was afraid that if she hung around, she'd spot something out-of-place or go digging around, which would likely give him away sooner or later.

He heard the human walking around more, her footsteps becoming a little quieter. Kendel was about to relax slightly when someone talking to him nearly made him jump and yell out in fright.

"_That's a very effective disguise you have. I almost didn't spot you either._"

Kendel's heart was pounding away at high-speed, knowing he'd been spotted by _some_one. Whoever it was, was whispering. He uncurled slightly and looked up, to find himself looking at Gardenia's Roserade, who was crouched down slightly, giving him a kind smile.

A Roserade's typical appearance was a pokemon with a white rose for a head. It had a leafy mask across the eyes, and rose bouquets for hands, one with red roses, one with blue. The rest of the pokemon consisted of a green, slender body with a leafy cape extending out behind it. Gardenia's was no different.

"_Please… don't give me away… please…_" he pleaded in a very quiet voice.

The Roserade gave him what was supposed to be a reassuring smile.

"_She won't hurt you. Trust me… she cares for others. Why don't you at least say hello?_" the Roserade offered gently.

"_Please… she'll want to capture me… and I've got to do something else… I can't afford to let myself get captured…please… I just want to get myself back home."_ he continued to plead. His expression was begging desperately for the pokemon to not give him trouble.

The Roserade looked at him, apparently considering his request and she might've asked more about him, when Gardenia (who was a short distance away, looking around a different area) spoke up.

"Roserade? What you are looking at? Did you find something?"

_Please... help me..._ He continued to think, even mouthing the words, though he wasn't sure if the Roserade could see that.

The Roserade's smile spread slightly and she gave a him wink before straightening up and gently shook her head at Gardenia. The pokemon then perked up as if she _had_ seen something and ran over to an area far from where Kendel was. This immediately got Gardenia's attention and she came to investigate what her pokemon had seen. He quickly figured out that the Roserade was distracting the human for him and, feeling a great deal of gratitude for the Roserade's help, he got up and quickly made a break for the gap in the trees to get out of the area, using care this time to avoid tripping or making too much noise.

He glanced back one last time as he was about to leave the grassy area and saw the Roserade shrugging apologetically to her trainer in the darkness. Gardenia reacted with kindness and seemed to be comforting the Roserade for making a simple mistake. A gentle smile spread across Kendel's face.

_She really does care for pokemon… I suppose if I were to be captured by anyone, I'd like it to be her… but I've got to hunt down Mew… no time to be joining the gym._

He then turned and sprinted away from the abandoned building and along the paved rock, coming to a stop near a herbal clinic. It didn't seem like any other people had spotted him on the way.

This area of Eterna was a little more verdant and had more plant life to it. Less rock and pavement. As a result, Kendel felt a little more at-ease in this area of the city, as he wouldn't stand out quite so badly.

He watched people go by, keeping himself huddled low to the ground so he would look like just a small mound of grass to the casual on-looker. When there was a lull in the activity, he rushed around the front of the clinic and hid again around the other side. Now he was between the clinic and a raised portion of land that was topped by a statue.

The statue was of a pokemon Kendel had never seen a live example of and while he had been curious what pokemon it was that he was seeing, he figured he'd never see the pokemon in-question. Thus, the statue up there had always been merely a curiosity to him.

He took an additional moment to consider whether to go around the statue's bit of land… or over it. In the end, he decided to risk going over and scurried up the stairway that had been constructed into the hill.

As soon as he was there, he looked around for somewhere on the hill to hide at and noticed another small indention in the ground. Seeing nothing else to use to hide, he ran over to the indent and tucked himself into the shallow hole and curled into it, hiding himself like he had so many times before now.

A boy who had seen something climbing the stairs came to investigate and overlooked the Shaymin hiding in plain sight on the ground. He glanced up at the statue, took another look around, trying to spot what he'd seen before… but he didn't look nearly close enough to spot what was before him in-hiding.

Kendel heard the footsteps head away and poked his head up cautiously. His eyes met with the statue and he got up, having seen that there weren't any people around.

The statue had stood there as long as Kendel could remember… in fact, he had asked around about it once, and no one was sure when exactly the statue had been erected.

Still… the statue depicted a particularly grand-looking creature that could only be a legendary pokemon.

_It's amazing… something so big… and yet I found myself getting so excited over something so small as Mew…_

Looking at the effigy, he actually started to wonder what would be like to be the thing that was depicted.

_Probably nothing like myself or Mew… but I suppose that's obvious… this thing couldn't hide even if it tried. Far too big… and probably powerful to boot. Heh... it couldn't be among people at all... it'd probably cause a panic...  
><em>

Kendel finally pulled his attention away from the statue though.

_I've already done plenty of staring at this before… and it isn't something I need to be concerned about right now._

He proceeded around the statue, keeping an eye out for more area residents and made his way down the other side of the hill, Mount Coronet closer than ever.

This was another thing that Kendel had always liked about Eterna… Mt. Coronet was a grand sight that seemed to tower over everything, the peak lost in the clouds high above. To the north of the mountain was the pass that was Route 217… that led up to Snowpoint City… a place Kendel had only heard of and he didn't really think he wanted to go that way. He'd heard of the blizzards up that way.

_But then… perhaps Mew went up there… I wouldn't put it past the feline to go somewhere like that._

The former human reached the base of the hill without issue and glanced around one last time… no humans around to see him. Kendel then took off for the mountain.

It was time for him to start the next step of his search.


	16. A Ice Greeting

**_I wonder what you readers will think of this chapter...  
><em>**

**_Enjoy!  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 16: A "Ice" Greeting

Mount Coronet was an impressive landmark from anywhere around Sinnoh region. The mountain could be seen from just about anywhere, including from Sandgem town, though it looked quite small from that distance.

Kendel was at the foot of the mountain now, looking up towards the peak, obscured by clouds up in the sky.

_I'm betting Mew is somewhere around here… the only question is… where did he go? To the peak… to Snowpoint up north? Or did he go somewhere else entirely?_

He took a minute to contemplate where to go looking first… it wouldn't be an easy search any way he looked at it though. A lot of climbing would be involved, and even if he had had his flying form, Kendel would've been hesitant to fly so high… or weather the cold that awaited if he went up to the peak or to the north.

Finally, Kendel settled on going north.

_Might as well get what looks like the harder part of the two, out of the way first._

Of course, Kendel needed to get into the Mt. Coronet caves first so he could start going north.

Being this was a mountain, there were naturally hikers around the base of the mountain, enjoying nature with their rock-type pokemon.

Unfortunately for Kendel, it seemed there was a small band of hikers gathered before the only local entrance into the caves. Probably a group who liked to travel together… and seemed to have set up camp for the night.

_Hikers to the end… they could easily just go into town and rest there… but no, they'd insist on camping out over here._ Kendel sighed with mild exasperation at this inconvenience. The problem was, of course, that he couldn't possibly take on all those hikers by himself and as always, he was concerned with someone being interested in capturing him.

Kendel made his way across a bridge going over a small ravine that separated the mountain from Eterna City and edged around the outskirts of the hiker encampment. The men who were still awake were absorbed in conversation with one another and it was dark, so none of them noticed him.

Kendel took note of a small patch of grass in a corner and headed over there, where he settled himself in amidst the grass and blended himself in nicely. There, Kendel dropped off to sleep. After having dealt with Rotom and avoiding capture in the city, he felt he needed the rest.

-0-

When Kendel awoke the next day, he wasn't particularly surprised to see the hikers had packed up their encampment and were nowhere to be seen.

_They've probably headed up the mountain. Just another reason I suppose to save searching the peak for another time. North, I go._

He got up, stretched a bit, finding himself feeling refreshed from the night's rest, and headed into the cave.

Inside, the caves were fairly dark but it wasn't too difficult to see what laid ahead as the sunlight shown in through other crevices in the walls and came in through other entrances. Overall, dark but not pitch-black.

The former human made his way forward, past a boulder that the hikers had probably moved aside previously with the help of their pokemon and he headed north as soon as he could.

He encountered more boulders as he went, having to squeeze between two of them at one point and continued through the cave, trying to keep to himself, though there were plenty of other pokemon dwelling the cave and being that he wasn't a human, they certainly didn't retreat from him. In fact, a curious Cleffa started trailing him a short distance asking about where he was headed.

Kendel glanced back at the pink, roughly star-shaped pokemon following him.

"I'm just trying to find someone… and I think they might've gone this way, alright?" he explained, "Now stop following me!" he ordered it and the normal-type looked at little hurt but it soon was no longer following him.

_Can I get anywhere without one pokemon or another pestering me? Sheesh…_

Kendel continued on down a slope and into a chamber full of fog. The room appeared to be almost entirely white like a cloud. He could feel a chill coming from ahead of him.

_This fog must be from the warm air from under the mountain and the cold air from the north meeting and the water condensing in here._

Kendel could even hear water as an unseen pokemon apparently splashed somewhere in the cave. It was only a brief sound then the cave was silent, but it confirmed Kendel's thoughts that water was in the cave.

He proceeded slowly and carefully, making sure he didn't run into something unexpected as he continued through the chamber.

Aside from going around a few rocks though, Kendel did not meet with any surprises and eventually met with a rock wall. After searching around the area a bit, he found a slope going up and out of the chamber, which he followed up, exiting the fog and finding himself in an un-branching tunnel.

By this point, Kendel could feel the cold in the air of the cave. His body reacted instinctively to this and he shivered though, as a human, he wouldn't have been shivering quite so soon.

_Oh man… I hope I'm not making a mistake doing this…_

Kendel proceeded forward, mentally wrestling with his doubts.

_C'mon… I've beaten Enzo once… gone through the Chateau several times and survived it all… how much harder could this be? I just need to endure through the cold._

He tried to harden his focus and press forward with a determined expression. It wasn't long before he reached the end of the tunnel and found himself another entrance to the mountain. This one had snow gently blowing in, a very cold breeze sweeping it further into the cave.

The moment Kendel set a foot on the snow, the cold sent a slight throb of pain up his leg and through his nerves.

_C-cold… yikes…_

Kendel swallowed hard, trying again to harden his resolve, and he pressed forward into the snow.

Outside the cave, was a world covered in a layer of white. Snow was everywhere and Kendel could make no mistake that he was already chilled to the bone.

To him, in his current form as a pokemon, Kendel found the sight both beautiful… and terrible at once.

The snow seemed to glitter in the sunlight, which wasn't warm enough to melt it and the untouched snow on the ground was a pure, untarnished white that almost made the landscape look like a cloud-top. It was almost like a low-temperature heaven.

And this heaven, was a grass-type's hell.

Kendel's body was protesting against this unadulterated frostiness and he was feeling pain unlike what a human would be feeling. His body simply did not tolerate the cold.

_Ugh… what I wouldn't give for a warm coat right now… fur or otherwise… I just wish I could be warm._

Kendel though, had nothing of the sort and he was well aware of it.

_I-I-I'll h-have to just work w-without. I can do this!_

And so, he continued onwards into the frost-ridden landscape.

He saw the occasional human being, and avoided them, though his movements were slower and stiffer than usual. Still, he went a wide distance around them and kept well away. The snow getting interlaced with the grass on his back helped slightly with hiding him from view. He couldn't help an envious stare at one girl's heavy winter coat, wishing he could wear it and warm himself up. He was starting to wonder what had possessed him to think of going up this way.

He had gone a fair distance, the cave he had come out of now small from the distance he had gone and Kendel was quite grateful to see what looked like a house constructed around a cluster of trees. Grateful, because as he drew closer, he could feel some heat escaping from the interior of the building. It wasn't nearly as gratifying being inside would've been, but Kendel settled himself down right next to the building, where the snow was slightly thinner and the ground shown through slightly, and let himself absorb the warmth as much as he could.

_Ohhhhh… oh yeah… that's so sweet… sweet, sweet warmth._

It helped that he was settled between the house and a steep slope of ground so even though the wind blew over the house, it bothered him little. Also this caused the warm air to pool slightly. And there were also trees along the side of the house so those also broke the wind somewhat as well as catching the heat. Overall, it was about as comfortable as he could possibly get in this sort of climate.

Kendel's breathing eased up, something he hadn't noticed had been getting rapid and uneven from the severe cold he had been experiencing.

-0-

"_Hey… hey there!_"

Kendel looked up from almost settling down for a nap when he heard someone trying to call to him in a low whisper. He looked in the direction of the voice and found himself looking at a pokemon that looked mildly like a tree covered in frost. It was far too distorted in shape to have been a normal creature or a plant, so had to be a pokemon. It somewhat resembled a very stumpy pine tree, complete with its hands being clusters of pine needles, also coated with frost.

"_What do you think you're doing? Hanging around there in the open next to that human dwelling?_" It said, a tone of urgency in its voice, "_You'll be spotted sitting around like that._"

Kendel looked around for any humans and then responded in a whisper himself to be safe.

"_I'm cold up here alright? It's warm right here so I'm just warming up._"

The pokemon blinked at him and looked him over.

"_I didn't think you were an ice-type from looking at you, but then if you really aren't, then why the heck are you in a location like this? You'll die in these kinds of temperatures!_" it said, sounding amazed that Kendel wasn't already dead.

"_I'm looking for someone and I'm not about to let these temperatures stop me, alright?_" Kendel hissed.

The Snover (as that was the name of the species) sighed and shrug in a very "suit yourself" sort of manner and backed away.

Kendel looked around once more for any humans, then decided he needed to move on.

As he headed around the house, it crossed his mind that that pokemon had actually been concerned for his well-being.

_Kinda like that Starly…_

It was somewhat surprising to him, but Kendel was finding pokemon to be more and more like people than he had thought before. They were different in appearance, sure and they had their own abilities no human had… but still… they had personalities and compassion like human beings.

However, they also had their cruelty, as Kendel found shortly after getting around the house and heading into a screen of tall grass that was growing through the snow.

The grass made Kendel relax somewhat, finally being among plant-life again and that was when a different local pokemon decided to ambush him.

A black streak with traces of red came seemingly out of nowhere and Kendel was knocked sprawling sideways, a gash along his side. The grass on him had absorbed the strike somewhat, helping to reduce the severity of the blow, but still, warm chlorophyll was bleeding out from Kendel and he got up, already weak from the cold reclaiming him and the wound only further sapping his strength.

His attacker was a Sneasel. The pokemon was almost entirely black in color and looked rather humanoid with a somewhat feline-like face. It had one black, cat-like ear and the other ear looked like a red feather. It also appeared to sport a few tail feathers that were the same shade of red. It had sharp claws that were as white as the snow (though now stained a little with Kendel's "blood") on both its hands and feet.

The Sneasel was small, but it was still considerably taller than Kendel.

Kendel started to say something, but he saw the Sneasel's face and realized it was about as friendly as Enzo. It was out to kill him for food.

_Gaaaah… first that Shinx, now this thing! Ugh… and I'm in a bad situation here._

His opponent didn't waste anytime speaking and lashed out again at Kendel at a blinding speed.

Kendel screamed as he was slashed again. This Sneasel was considerably more skilled than Enzo, and much more efficient about it's attacks.

The former human tried to get up again, however, the wounds were already far too severe and he was about to pass out.

_Ugh… no… I can't… not here…_

The last thing Kendel heard before he was swallowed by darkness was a sharp _smack!_

He wasn't sure if that was the sound of the predator ripping him open, but his mind didn't have any time to contemplate it as he completely lost consciousness in the next second.


	17. A Feeling of Gratitude

**_Well, yet another chapter. Perhaps I'm getting back into the swing of things. I just hope my quality is still good.  
><em>**

**_At any rate, hope you people enjoy this chapter.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 17: A Feeling of Gratitude

Kendel was suitably surprised when he woke up.

For starters, he hadn't expected that he would be waking up at all. If anything, he had been expecting to end up in some sort of afterlife, though whether it was human or pokemon, he wouldn't have known.

When he became aware of himself and opened his eyes though, he found himself in what was clearly a house. A small, single-room abode, but a house nonetheless.

For one instant, his mind gripped the hope that perhaps he was human again and someone had taken him inside to shelter him. However, one look at himself quickly banished that idea. He was still a pokemon… still a Shaymin.

_Of course not… Mew did this… only he can reverse it…_

After about a minute, the last moments he could recall came back to him and looked around for the pokemon that had attacked him.

There was only one other pokemon in the house though, aside from himself and it was seated on the ground, cross-legged. He noticed, with some panic rising in his chest that there was also a human being in the room who was watching over things. He was pretty sure there was one other person present as well, though he couldn't tell who they were as they were buried under several blankets on a bed, clearly fast asleep.

The house was toasty and warm and there were several amenities around the room, including a TV, the aforementioned bed, cupboards and Kendel was presently laying atop a dresser.

A glance at one of the closed windows of the house told Kendel that he was still up in the mountains. And it looked like it was night out there.

Kendel wasn't sure if he had been captured or not… a second, closer look at the woman watching over things in the house showed that she didn't appear to be a trainer as Kendel could not see her packing any pokeballs… but that didn't mean someone hadn't claimed him.

"Hm. You're awake. Good to see." Someone said, clearly male. Kendel looked in the direction of the voice and made eye contact with only other pokemon present.

Now that his attention was more fully on the pokemon, Kendel realized this other pokemon was humanoid in appearance, however it had unmistakably dog-like features which included a tail, paws, and a muzzle.

The pokemon was predominantly black and blue in color with its entire torso covered in a cream-colored fur. It's upper legs, arms, tail, and parts of its face (including its tall ears) were blue. Its paws (which appeared to be both hands and feet for the pokemon), lower legs and areas around its fur were black. It had a mask-like set of markings across its face and an array of what could've been taken to be dreadlocks that were also black hanging from the back of its head.

Kendel also noticed the spikes that seemed to sprout from the back of the pokemon's hand-paws. Standing up, the pokemon would've been only slightly shorter than Kendel when he was human.

The boy tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't seem to speak. The dog-like pokemon stood up while he was thinking and walked over to him to look him over.

"I was rather surprised to see a grass-type like you up in this sort of landscape. I would've expected to only see Snover up here, if any grass-types." He commented in a husky sort of voice that reflected age. This pokemon had been through a long life already.

"Looking… for someone…" Kendel murmured, repeating the explanation he'd already given so many times to other pokemon. His voice was a little cracked and dry.

"Searching for someone? Hm. Well, rest for now. You need it. Especially after the number that Sneasel did to you." the dog said calmly, gently laying a paw on Kendel's head.

Kendel turned his head the best he could to look at himself without moving too much, which was difficult. When he did move too much, his side and belly regions stung with pain.

He still got a decent look at himself though and found that his wounds from the Sneasel's attacks had been bandaged up and he was on the way to healing.

"Who… saved me?" Kendel murmured. The other pokemon paused from going to sit back down and glanced back at him.

"That would be me. Driving off that Sneasel was simple enough."

Kendel looked over the pokemon again, and figured he wouldn't be too surprised if this pokemon could handle his attacker… but there was a different, obvious question that popped into his head:

"Why?" Kendel asked, "I don't think we've met… or even seen each other before… so why help a complete stranger like me?"

His rescuer shrugged.

"I sensed you were in trouble, as you were just outside the house when you were attacked… and you got my interest." the pokemon responded calmly, "That… and well, I suppose old habits die-hard." He added as an after-thought with a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. One paw was rested on what appeared to be a handkerchief tied around his neck (Kendel had overlooked it at first).

The Shaymin wasn't sure what he had meant by that last part… and in fact, the explanation had brought up more questions in Kendel's mind.

"How did you sense that? And what was it about me that got your interest anyways? What I am?" Kendel asked.

The dog looked mildly surprised at the first question but then seemed to shrug off his surprise.

"Aura. It's something my species can sense." He said, "And for your information, I'm what's called a Lucario" he added, apparently seeing the question already forming in Kendel's head.

"As for what got my interest about you; no, it wasn't what you are, though I'll admit I've never seen a pokemon like you before now, even in all my travels." The Lucario continued, and then spoke in a lower voice as if he didn't want the humans nearby to hear, though they wouldn't understand him anyways, "What got my interest is your aura… I sensed a great deal of emotions going on deep down. I suppose now's as good a time as any to ask: Who is this individual you're looking for and why are you looking for them?"

Kendel blinked, somewhat surprised by the direct question.

"I'm… I'm looking for a pokemon who calls himself Mew… as for why… well, I doubt you'd believe me…" Kendel averted his eyes away, severely doubting that the Lucario would believe him if he told him the truth.

"Tell me. I'll know if you're being dishonest." The pokemon said in commanding tone of voice.

Kendel reestablished eye-contact with the Lucario.

_Will you really believe me if I tell you?_

Kendel's expression telegraphed this thought… then he decided,

_Why not? If he laughs at me, I've only myself to blame for thinking he'd believe me._

"Mew turned me into this… I'm actually human… this isn't my true body. I'm trying to find Mew to get him to turn me back." Kendel said as bluntly, flatly, and brutally honest as he could be.

Kendel waited as the Lucario gazed at him, waiting for the laugh to come, for the ridicule.

He saw that moment of surprise on the Lucario's face, then the Lucario closed his eyes, no amusement on his face whatsoever.

"I see."

This surprised Kendel of course, who hadn't expected the Lucario to take the news so calmly and to apparently believe him.

"Y-you… you really believe me?" Kendel asked.

"I'm an expert with aura… more so than most Lucario… and if you were lying, your aura would've given you away to me. Nothing I saw gave me reason to believe you were lying." The Lucario said. He appeared to be deep in thought though and his paw at the handkerchief around his neck again.

Kendel glanced over at the two humans again… the woman seemed to be just ignoring their conversation, leaving them alone. Finally Kendel felt he had to ask,

"Er… do you know if either of those people are trainers?" he asked nervously. The Lucario looked at him a moment and then had an understanding smile.

"My friend and partner is a trainer… however, do not worry, she didn't seem to express any interest in, er, catching you. I brought you in here and she is more than willing to let me see to it that you recover from your injuries."

_Her. So it's a girl under those covers, huh?_

Being the typical boy, Kendel of course found himself wondering what she looked like.

Then the fact that the Lucario had called her friend and partner fully impacted itself on Kendel and, along with the fact that she was a trainer made Kendel realize the obvious.

"She… she's your…" he asked, a little uncertain about bringing up the subject. The Lucario looked mildly amused now.

"We are friends and partners in our travels together. I do not _belong_ to her, but I go with her and protect her as needed. She… she's done several things for me that I cannot adequately repay her for." He looked away, actually managing to look abashed for such a serious-looking pokemon.

Kendel stared, now finding himself wondering what this Lucario was so immensely grateful for towards this girl… what she had done for him?

And thinking on gratitude, he suddenly found himself recalling one of the last things Cresselia had told him before they had parted ways: "_When you see someone else receive help and they express their thanks… pay attention to them._"

The Lucario wasn't exactly expressing thanks… but he was clearly grateful for something towards this girl and he was expressing that gratitude.

So Kendel focused and tried see something different about the Lucario.

After a moment Kendel didn't see anything different, however he could sense a strange warmth about the pokemon. The warmth seemed to radiate out from the Lucario and it nearly seemed tangible to the former human, as if he could reach out and pull the warmth close to himself.

Soon, Kendel found himself wanting to try and get a closer feel for this odd warmth. He got up, gingerly as he was still healing, and made his way to the edge of the dresser-top he was on top of. With a careful jump, he got down from the dresser and approached the Lucario after landing, who looked a little surprised he had done something like that while still injured. Kendel's wounds did hurt from the landing, however he was still alright and his wounds only hurt and nothing more.

"If you don't mind me asking," Kendel said gently, looking up at the Lucario, "What did she do for you that you're so grateful for?"

The pokemon looked a little uncomfortable but finally responded:

"She eased some concerns I had. Gave me reassurance at a time when I was… wracked with worry. And she's given me so much more beyond that…" he said, it seemed he was unwilling to go into more detail. As he said this though, Kendel was focused on trying to detect that warmth again.

It didn't take long before Kendel could feel it gently radiating from the Lucario… in fact, it seemed to be stronger than before.

Still curious about this warmth, Kendel tried to reach out to it… to get a better feel for it. To him, it felt as though his mind were reaching out a hand and gently taking hold of a small portion of cloth and pulling it towards him. As he mentally hugged this close, he felt something and the Lucario blinked as he looked at him.

"Hm… that's unusual. I didn't think you'd bloom in a place like this." He commented.

Kendel was confused by this comment and looked himself over.

Most of his body was the same as ever, however when he got a good look at his back, Kendel realized what the Lucario was talking about. A number of flowers had appeared amidst the grass on him and bloomed. They looked to be the same flower as the one by his ear. He imagined that a typical girl likely would've found him pretty and adorable at that moment.

_Wow… that's never happened before… how'd I do that?_

After only a few seconds though, the flowers dropped their petals and seemed to retreat back into Kendel's body. It left a small mess of the petals lying around Kendel like confetti, as if the flowers had been celebrating that moment.

Reflecting on that moment when he had bloomed, Kendel found that he had mostly been focused on the warmth he was pulling on from the Lucario.

_...Was that- can actually detect gratitude? Is that what warmth is?_

He wasn't sure what to think of what he had pulled close.

His thoughts were interrupted when the Lucario gently picked him up off the floor and placed him back on the dresser that he had been resting on.

"That's enough about me for one night… now rest."

Kendel wanted to ask more about this Lucario, however the look the dog-like pokemon was giving him ended any arguments before they began. He still had one thing to say and ask:

"…You're the only one I've really told about what I really am… I don't think most would believe me. The few others who do know figured it out by themselves. Anyways… my name's Kendel. What's your name? In case we meet again after I get Mew to turn me back."

The Lucario gave him a kind smile… one that Kendel found an odd comfort in.

"My name's Kale. Now sleep... Kendel."

###

_**On a side-note: I know that Shaymin's "blooming" effect is supposed to be "When it's hugged and senses gratitude" but hey, Writer's License or whatnot. Just so long as I haven't changed things too much.**_

_**And no bonus points for having guessed who this Lucario is before the end of the chapter.  
><strong>_


	18. Selfless

**_Lots of talk lately in my chapters. I believe my next chapter should have a bit more action though, so not to worry.  
><em>**

**_Enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 18: Selfless

Kendel awoke early the next day, a mild amount of sunlight reaching through the snow outside and illuminating the inside of the house.

Waking up in the shelter of a building was something that Kendel found he needed to get used to all over again, as he had been going nearly a week sleeping alone outside, concealed in grass. This was the first time in what felt to him like a long time that he had slept out in the open and almost completely exposed to others.

Kale was rested up against one wall, sound asleep.

It didn't particularly surprise him to see the human who had been in the bed was also still asleep. The lady, who Kendel assumed was the owner of the house was seated in a chair, also asleep though she was quiet and Kendel suspected she was a light-sleeper so as to keep an eye out for trouble over the night.

No trouble seemed to have visited them in the night though and Kendel got up, yawning quietly and contemplated where he would go.

To him, there was really only one way… back towards Mount Coronet. After that ambush in the grass and the experience with the bitter cold of this mountain, Kendel was quite sure he would not last a trip up to Snowpoint… not as a Shaymin anyways.

_What if Mew's up there somewhere though?_

Thinking on this possibility, Kendel considered perhaps working his way back to Floroma Town to transform again and fly up there. It would be a bitter-cold flight, but surely less painful than walking (or more like trudging) his way up there. But then there was the matter of _getting_ back to Floroma in the first place. He would likely have to get by a dozen or two dozen humans on the way, likely more, as he had to go back through Eterna City, through the forest, back down the hill going up to the forest, get past Enzo, who would probably still be there, waiting for him. Then finally get into the grove and find one of those flowers. Then there was the matter of making sure he didn't dawdle up near Snowpoint beyond dusk, lest he end up walking back down, a trip that seemed to promise his death.

_Urgh… This would be somewhat simpler if I were human… I could just bundle up and head up there. Maybe travel with a trainer to avoid trouble with pokemon…_

As the former human was experiencing this aggravation, Kale stirred and woke up, getting to his feet. His attention was soon on Kendel and the Lucario approached him.

"What is the matter? You're troubled, I can sense that. Is there something I can do to help?" he asked.

Kendel sighed, as he did not wish to travel with a human, for fear of being captured at some point. He was sure the girl, whoever she may have been, would be tempted to.

"No… I don't believe you can help. It's just that… it's possible Mew's up the mountain, towards Snowpoint City and… ugh… it will be a hard trip just getting up there." Kendel explained, his mind racing to figure out the best way to solve his conundrum.

Kale looked mildly puzzled and amused at this.

"I believe, despite what you think, I _can_ help. In two ways." Kale said, his tone solid with confidence. Kendel was doubtful of this, but he nonetheless asked "How?"

Kale gazed directly at him and spoke.

"What pokemon type is this 'Mew', if you know?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Kendel said, now puzzled himself.

"Just answer my question, please. I am trying to determine if I can help."

Kendel sighed in response to this, not expecting much in the way of assistance in this matter, but he answered:

"I'm pretty sure Mew's a psychic-type. What about it?"

Kale seemed to take a second to process this information and nodded, then he headed outside without a word. Curious, Kendel shifted along the dresser-top and peered out the window to look at Kale outside. The Lucario appeared to be doing a breathing exercise or something of the sort, then he looked around the area, looking over at Mt. Coronet and turning around to look over the top of the house; Kendel could see his eyes had a golden glow to them. By the time Kale was done, he had turned a complete, slow 360 degrees, a complete circle.

_What? Does he think he can spot Mew? He's never even __seen__ Mew and I can't begin to describe him accurately enough. How'd he know what to look for, even if he had super-vision or something?_

If he had been human, Kendel likely would've sat down, crossed his legs and folded his arms. A show of low expectations. He was expecting no results from this attempt at looking for Mew from one place.

So naturally, he was surprised when Kale stepped back inside and spoke, with undeniable certainty:

"I suspect Mew is either at the top of the mountain off to the south. The one the humans call Mt. Coronet. Or he's up ahead towards the city, Snowpoint. He might be further west, but if he's in that direction, then he's too far away for me to tell where exactly."

Kendel blinked, trying to figure out what was already coming out of his mouth:

"What makes you so sure of that?!"

"Mew is surely a strong pokemon. He would have to be if he transformed you like he did. All I needed to know was what sort of aura I was looking for. From there, it was simply a matter of looking for a powerful aura of the sort you described."

This rendered Kendel speechless.

"You can seriously see like that?" Kendel said, his voice somewhat deadened by shock.

"Auras tend to be unique to their owners, though many look similar and even I cannot see the finer differences. But I can see enough to determine that there are two very strong auras belonging to psychic-types to our north and south. There are other psychic auras, yes, but none as intense as the two I speak of. Chances are, one of them is this 'Mew' you're searching for…"

As much as it amazed Kendel, he couldn't deny it made some sense. Then Kale continued,

"And I believe Elisa and myself can assist you with searching the north. Travel with us."

"Hold it!" Kendel said very quickly, "Spotting where Mew might be is great and all, and thank you- seriously, _thank you_ for doing that for me… but there is no way I am going to travel with a trainer for any reason. She'll want to capture me sooner or later or have me travel with the two of you and I don't have time for that." He said insistently. Kale reacted to this with patience though and responded calmly.

"Elisa isn't like that… I'm sure of it."

Kendel promptly rolled his eyes at this claim.

"And how long have you been with this trainer of yours? I doubt you know her inside and out. Likewise, I doubt she's as selfless as you claim."

It was Kale's turn to sigh, with stretched patience.

"I have been with Elisa for nearly two years now. I have not seen her capture one pokemon and she has never used any of those… pokeballs, that I've seen other humans use. I travel with her as an equal companion."

There was considerable doubt buzzing through Kendel's mind.

_Is this Lucario serious? She's __never__ used a pokeball? How'd she get this far? If she's a trainer, surely she's headed towards Snowpoint for a gym badge. She didn't come all this way with __just__ Kale, did she?_

Kendel looked over Kale again, new thoughts now rising up and he was starting to wonder if he should pity anyone who faced Kale in a battle.

"Travel with us, Kendel." Kale repeated, "If Mew is not up there, I swear on the life of my son, I will see to it that you return to warmer lands safely, and free of any trainers. You will not have to travel with us beyond these cold regions."

Kendel took these words at face-value, and was hit by another wave of stunned-shock when he realized:

"You- you have a son? You're a father?"

Kale's expression was a little tense, but he nodded. Immediately, Kale was wondering if he had abandoned his family for this adventure or something… trusting that his son could take care of himself. His mind was full of thoughts and ideas about what the truth was. Kale apparently perceived this, as he spoke again:

"I… believe my son is okay. She… she told me as much…" Kale said, his paw at his neck again, where the handkerchief was. There was a far-away look to Kale's expression that Kendel had seen last night, when Kale had been expressing the gratitude he felt towards the girl. As Kendel recalled what had been said then, he realized,

…_Wait… is he grateful… because she reassured him that his son was safe and well?_

Kendel considered many things about this, first being the possibility that she had simply been lying to Kale to gain his trust… but then, Kale would've been able to see through the lie, wouldn't he?

There were so many things Kendel didn't know. But the only conclusion he could draw, was that this girl had been honest… and she had seen this Lucario's son and that he was well. There was one question Kendel had to ask though…

"Why did you leave him anyways?" Kendel asked. Kale's paw tensed at this question and Kendel saw something faint and white around it which soon faded.

"I… It wasn't my choice I'm afraid. I wish I could see him again… but I cannot…" Kale said slowly, and with unquestionable grief in his tones.

Kendel did not need to ask… he could see that Kale missed his son, deeply. The Lucario spoke up before any further questions could be asked anyways.

"At any rate, travel with us Kendel. I'll help you find Mew up in this snowy mountain however I can if he's here, and I promise that neither Elisa nor I will force you to accompany us at any point. I only wish to help."

Kendel stared, aware of the sort of pain this Lucario was experiencing. He couldn't personally imagine it, as he couldn't quite relate… but he didn't think he wanted to experience the same sort of pain. He had to ask, even as Kale tried to drop the subject,

"Why are you doing this for me? If you miss your son, why are you with this human trainer? Why aren't you looking for him?"

Kale heaved a deep sigh... then spoke,

"I do not know why this has happened to me… perhaps it is retribution for my mistakes in the past… perhaps it is because I was sent here to help this human girl. I may never know." Kale said, his voice cold, yet serene, "All I do know, is this: I want to help others. It is something I've wanted to devote myself to for years now. I don't care if they're human or pokemon. If someone needs my help or wants my help with something that I deem good, I will help. There is nothing I can do for my son now, so please… allow me to help _you_, Kendel." He said, almost as if he were pleading.

_Mistakes? Is he trying to… I don't know… atone for something he's done? What kind of mistake did he make?_

Kendel could already see though that if he tried asking, Kale would not answer. The Lucario wanted him to accept his assistance and he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer.

He looked down, breaking eye contact with the Lucario. Hearing about Kale having a son had reminded Kendel about his own parents, and he had started wondering if they were managing to cope without him at this point.

_I… at least I have a chance at reuniting with them… and I haven't given up on that yet. I'm… kinda grateful I have them and I know where they are. I hope dad's alright…_

Kendel was somewhat shocked with himself that he hadn't given much thought about his dad before now. Admittedly, he had taken his father somewhat for granted. A figure that had always been there with his mom.

Kendel had to pull his mind back to the matter at-hand though. Kale was waiting.

_I still don't trust going anywhere with a human trainer… least of all one I don't know at all… but I don't see a safer way of checking Snowpoint for Mew. And besides that… I'm not sure how Kale may react if I insist on rejecting his help._

He looked up at Kale again, his decision affixed in his mind.

"Alright, Kale. I guess I'll be with you and Elisa for a while then, until I've checked around Snowpoint and we get back down to Coronet." Kendel said, conceding the most ideal course of action.

_I just hope I'm not making a mistake trusting this girl, Elisa..._ Kendel thought, eyeing the figure under the bed covers.

Kale bowed his head.

"I'm sorry for burdening you with that information about myself. There's nothing to be done about any of it now. I trust Elisa and believe my son is safe. That is enough for me. I just wish to help you now since it is the least I can do." Kale said.

Kendel glanced up at Kale one last time… and wondered what he had been through to be so selfless yet clearly so full of pain from loss.

He then looked away and settled down where he was, waiting for Elisa to wake up. In the meantime, he was thinking of how to make it clear to this human girl, that he wished to accompany her, but not permanently. This promised to be a difficult task and he needed to think.


	19. Pushing Through Snow

**_Yay! More chapters! It might be a bit again before I update again. Life's interfering again.  
><em>**

**_Enjoy!  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 19: Pushing Through Snow

Kendel did not have to wait long for Elisa to wake up, as daylight was already streaming into the house, and it seemed that she was an early riser anyways. If he hadn't already gotten so much rest, Kendel wouldn't have been awake at this hour.

Elisa was a girl with rather attractive features, or at least they appealed to Kendel somewhat.

She had long, crimson-colored hair that would've looked black in low-light. Her regular clothes were a shirt that covered her entire torso and matched her hair-color and a set of blue jeans. Both were brands that even Kendel recognized as designer brands, though these particular ones were dated by a year or so and looked worn from travel, but being she was a trainer, Kendel imaged she probably hadn't had the money to spare towards buying clothes that were more "current"; she had probably needed to focus more on travel supplies and other things to take care of herself and Kale.

She had a pair of sneakers, which were a little more with recent fashions (it wouldn't do to travel in worn-out shoes) and as she got up, she put on a black, cloth cap that was pitch-black. Instead of the sneakers though, she wore a set of snow boots that she had likely purchased in preparation for the journey up here (putting away the sneakers) and she also started to put on a very heavy coat as she spoke.

"Alright Kale. I think it's time we started up towards Snowpoint. We've already hung around down here long enough. If that grass-type isn't better by now, we'll just have to leave it here and-."

Kale didn't need to point out Kendel though as Elisa glanced over at him and stopped mid-sentence as she saw him awake and standing on his own.

"Ah, okay. You've recovered, huh?" she said, smiling warmly and stepped over to the dresser, crouching down slightly to get on Kendel's level.

Kendel's body instinctively leaned away from her from nerves but Kendel fought the urge to back off entirely. She made him nervous but he intended to fight the fear.

"Well, I suppose we could backtrack a little ways back to the cave and drop you off there. If you came this far alone, I bet you can take care of yourself from that point." She said, a cheerful note in her voice.

Kendel shook his head though.

"I'm coming with you." He said, though he knew she wouldn't understand him. He hoped she'd get the message nonetheless from his tone and body language.

"What? You don't need the help to get back there?" she asked, apparently misunderstanding him.

Kendel groaned, wishing he could speak "human", which he couldn't in this state. Thankfully, Kale stepped in, clarifying what Kendel wanted.

After getting his trainers attention, Kale pointed to himself and her and then pointed at Kendel and then up towards Snowpoint.

It was apparent that the two knew how to communicate as Elisa looked suitably surprised.

"He wants to go up to Snowpoint?" she then looked at Kendel again, giving a very strange look. She was clearly perplexed by this desire and Kendel could understand why.

"Are you pulling my leg, Kale? This pokemon's clearly a grass-type. Why would it want to go up there? It's too cold for a pokemon like it to survive up there." Elisa said. Kale let out a silent groan, exasperated. This seemed to indicate to her that he wasn't joking because she looked at Kendel again.

"Do you _really_ want to go up the mountain?" she asked Kendel. This somewhat surprised Kendel as she apparently expected an intelligent answer from him. If he had been in her shoes (so to speak), he wouldn't have tried drawing an answer out of an apparently wild pokemon. He wouldn't have expected the pokemon to understand.

Yet, Elisa was clearly asking him a question… as if she knew he was as intelligent and knowledgeable as her, a human being.

_It doesn't surprise me too much that she expects that sort of thing from Kale… she's been with him a good, long time and they've learned from one another… but me? I'm a wild pokemon as far as she's concerned._

Still, despite the conflict of logic, she was asking him a question and so Kendel responded by nodding firmly.

Elisa straightened up and brushed back her hair, clearly thinking.

"Well… if we're going to do this… I'm going to have to keep you in a pokeball to keep you safe-" this was cut-off by Kale placing a hand over hers (which had been reaching into her bag) and he shook his head when Elisa turned her attention to him.

"No? Why not? I can just release him afterwards. And it's easier on all of us." She reasoned, but Kale continued to gently shake his head and Elisa exhaled as she reassessed the options they had.

"Well then… there's one way to do this then…" she said, sounding resigned and mildly annoyed, she then placed her other hand on her bag, giving Kale a somewhat pointed look. Kale withdrew his paw in-response.

Elisa then opened up the bag and Kendel watched as she pulled out what looked like a small square of fabric. Perhaps a small blanket that she used as a pillow when camping outside or maybe it was a small towel? Either way, Elisa then gently wrapped Kendel in the cloth and placed him inside her bag of supplies.

"It is _way_ too cold for you to be walking with us so if you're going to come with us up to Snowpoint, you'll have to ride in my bag. That's the best way for you to keep warm as we go." She said in a tone that took no arguments. Not that Kendel was about to protest, this was the only other way he could see himself surviving the trip too. So, he kept still and allowed her to pack him into the bag the best she could, even trying to help fit himself inside better when he could.

Once he was inside the bag as firmly as possible, Elisa closed the bag most of the way, leaving it partially open to allow air in so Kendel could breathe. It was a little cramped, but comfortable nonetheless, as the former human at least felt insulated and there was enough space that he did not feel too compacted.

"Alright, let's go Kale." The human said her tone firm with command. Kendel could hear a subtle aspect of this order though… she wasn't ordering someone under her command. She was telling a friend what they were doing next. It was a fine difference but it was there.

This said, they headed out into wintery landscape outside.

-0-

Kendel could not see what was going on outside of the bag he was packed into, but he could hear the voices outside and of course, he felt the cold that slipped into the bag. The cloth wrapped around him afforded him enough protection from the chill though that he remained comfortable.

There wasn't much to hear outside. There was the crunch of snow and the sound of Elisa and Kale working their way forward. At points, Elisa brought the bag around and hugged it near her chest as they trudged through snow several feet deep, ensuring the bag was not damaged or lost as she pushed through the snow with her companion's assistance.

"You alright in there?" she asked at one point, looking into the bag at Kendel, who was feeling fairly secure in the pack. He nodded in response and her face disappeared from view as she resumed pressing forward.

Once or twice, someone challenged Elisa to a pokemon battle, which she accepted. From there, Kendel could only imagine the battle that unfolded as he heard commands being made and blows being exchanged between Kale and the pokemon that were called up to be his opponents.

In all cases, Kale came out victorious and Elisa wished her fellow trainers safe travels as they resumed their course up towards Snowpoint City.

As the journey continued, Kendel could hear Elisa murmuring about something to herself, though when he heard Kale expressing his concerns about her, Elisa assuaged those concerns and they continued onwards.

Still… it seemed that Elisa was preoccupied… which was possibly the reason for what occurred as they were nearly to the top and nearing Snowpoint City.

Elisa paused in their progress and Kendel couldn't see what she was doing… but she was looking around for something… or perhaps someone.

"Elisa… come on. We are nearly there…" Kale said, motioning for her to continue.

"Ah… sorry Kale. Just thinking…" she said apologetically, seeing the impatience in his motions and hearing it in his tone even if she couldn't understand words.

Then a local Medicham (a pokemon with large legs, a slender body, and an oddly-shaped head), seeing a good training target in Kale, came at the Lucario unexpectedly, taking him by surprise. Elisa re-gathered her thoughts just in time to see Kale get slammed by a Force Palm strike.

Kale tumbled back with a cry of pain. To the Lucario's credit, he remained on his feet though he was hardly in any condition now to put up a good fight against his opponent.

"Kale! Are you alright?" Elisa said quickly. Kale signaled for her to keep back.

"_I can handle this._"

However, the next few seconds did not reassure Elisa. After a moment of meditation, focusing itself, the Medicham charged at Kale again and the Lucario was hard pressed to keep up a good defense and could not counter-attack as he hadn't the strength to endure another hard blow and attack back.

After several seconds of hearing the commotion outside, Kendel could not stand to sit in the bag any longer while he heard the one-sided fight outside, so he struggled free of the cloth and emerged part-way from the bag.

"No. Stay in there. It's too cold and too dangerous for you to be out here." Elisa said quickly, trying to push Kendel back down into the safety of the bag.

"NO!" Kendel fought back, shoving up against Elisa's hand and trying to force his way out of the bag. Elisa looked down at him and saw the Shaymin's expression.

He didn't care now if he was cold or not. Kale had saved his life once already. Kendel intended to repay the favor, even if meant he simply bought Kale a few seconds of rest. Besides that, Elisa and Kale were his safe trip back down. If Elisa could not continue safely, Kendel's own objectives would be stalled as well. He needed to help however he could.

Elisa could not sense all the feelings running through Kendel… but she could see the determination on his small face. She heaved a sigh, clearly hoping he wasn't making a mistake, and she unzipped the bag further, allowing Kendel climb out and fall free of the bag into the snow.

The snow was fairly shallow where they were, being in an area of tall grass. Nonetheless, it was quite cold and Kendel's entire body was quickly chilled, causing a sensation of pain to ripple though him. He doggedly ignored this though and charged forward to step defensively in front of Kale.

"Kale, back off and come over here." Elisa said.

"K-Kendel…" the Lucario murmured, his own concerns for the former human clear.

"Go back, Kale. Let me buy you a little time, even if it's just a few seconds. You need to recover." Kendel said quickly. He could see the severe bruise the Medicham had left on Kale. He needed treatment.

Kale only hesitated a moment, then he turned and moved back to Elisa, who promptly started digging in her bag to treat his wound with a potion.

"Hmph. Coward." The Medicham sniffed and moved to chase Kale down but a small barrage of leaves hitting the pokemon in the face interrupted it.

"You're dealing with me right now." Kendel declared through clenched teeth, tight both with tension and from cold.

The Medicham was clearly less-than-impressed with Kendel but seemed to decide it could deal with him quickly. It closed its eyes and a psychic pulse hit Kendel's mind.

After having been hit with this by Mew more than once though, Kendel found the attack to be relatively weak.

"That all you've got?!" Kendel yelled at his opponent and called on the energy from the plant-life around him, gathering it in a ball before him. He then launched it at the Medicham.

The fighting-type raised an arm and guarded itself against the attack the best it could which knocked it back slightly on impact. It recovered quickly enough.

"Very well… you want 'all I've got' then you shall have it!" the Medicham declared and leapt high into the air.

In the split-second he had, Kendel realized he might've underestimated this opponent. The next moment, the Medicham came down on him, foot first.

"HAA!"

If the Medicham had landed directly on Kendel, the Shaymin would've been crushed under the impact. As it was, getting kicked like this knocked him away and broke several bones in his body. The cry that escaped from Kendel was strangled and short as he was quickly rendered unconscious from the strike.

To him, there was a flash of colors, immense pain, then nothing but darkness.


	20. Dawning Memories

**_I feel this chapter could be better... but then I always feel that way and every chapter could probably be improved anyhow.  
><em>**

**_I hope you all enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 20: Dawning Memories

Elisa winced when she witnessed the heavy blow the grass-type took, to the face no less.

She had worked quickly in the few seconds the little pokemon had bought, and searching through her supplies and extracting a potion from her bag, which she sprayed it over Kale's injury. It was a severe injury, but she knew from past experience with Kale that he had been through worse than this. Nonetheless, she couldn't take chances, since Kale was her only real line of defense that she knew well enough to rely on.

It wasn't long after she had applied the medicinal spray that their guest companion went down under the Medicham's attack.

"Kale, go! You can finish this!" she said quickly. Her Lucario companion only nodded once and whirled around to face the Medicham before charging forward.

Without a word, he gave his opponent a taste of the same attack she had used on him, slamming her with a Force Palm strike. The fighting/psychic-type quickly raised her guard, absorbing the blow and resisting the damage. Nonetheless, Kale was no weakling and despite the type match-up, the move still did considerable damage.

The wild pokemon attempted to counter-attack with another Force Palm, but Kale was ready this time around, agilely moving to evade the attack, which barely missed.

He then let out a snarling war-cry and punched the ground. Elisa couldn't see what exactly hit the Medicham, but she saw its effects on both its target and the snow around Kale, which was blown away like a gust of wind had exploded outwards from the Lucario. The Medicham let out a short, surprised yelp and was knocked off her feet by the attack. After a moment of trying to stand back up, she lost what consciousness remained and laid on the ground, knocked out.

Once she was sure the hostile pokemon was down and no longer a threat, Elisa stepped over to the grass-type and collected him in her arms. Kale was examining the bruise, which was already healing thanks to the potion's effect. Elisa examined Kendel's face, checking how severe the blow had been.

There was one very large, blotch-like bruise down one side of his face and there was even a bleeding wound near one temple of his head, on the upper edge of the bruise.

_Ouch… that must have been one hard blow… then again, it did jump into the air before coming down on the little guy. Think it should be okay though with what I've got for treating it._

She looked around, checking again for any more unfriendly pokemon in the vicinity and then she zipped up her bag and proceeded forward, the grass-type held close to her chest to keep it warm.

It wasn't long before Elisa decided it was time to set up camp and give their friend a chance to rest properly. The snow made it difficult to proceed without her hands free, and she didn't dare put the pokemon back in her bag in his present condition. Besides that, Elisa felt like she was getting frost-bite despite her protection and she worried about what might happen if Kale tried to deal with this into the night.

_Ugh… some days, I have wonder if I might not have been better off as I once was._

She still remembered her adventures from days long past… before she had even become a trainer. And these wintery conditions reminded her only too well of the tundra she had once braved.

_Ha ha… well, at least this mountain is drier than that place had been… and the fight Kale will have ahead will be more cold, less wet. Though I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not…_

Thinking back on that though, Elisa had been reminded by this pokemon's action, of the fight she had gone through. She had made a somewhat similar sacrifice. One that could've killed her then.

_I wonder if this little guy already considers us friends like that?_

After about 15 minutes of working to set up a tent out in the blizzard, Elisa and Kale finally took cover inside and she started treating the Shaymin's wound. It was a relatively easy task, being that it was simply one large injury and not several so she finished her work on the wound in little time.

"There. That should do it. Hopefully, he'll wake up by the time we're going to head out." She said as she straightened up. Kale double-checked her work as well, smiling with approval as he finished his examination.

Sitting back now, relaxing and letting her tired legs recover from the climb and pushing through all the snow, Elisa spent a few minutes thinking over events before she would tuck into her sleeping bag to rest.

Her mind had been racing ever since they had started to scale this snowy peak. She had been hoping she might find some sign of someone she had lost long ago. She admittedly still hadn't let go of him, even after all these years.

_Still… at least his disappearance doesn't bother me quite as badly as it did before. I just wish I knew for sure if he was still alive out here or not._

She hadn't seen any sign of him… and given all the snow, she doubted she would. If she found a sign of him, it would be the young man himself… dead or alive. And she wasn't sure how she would react if she found the former… she didn't really want to think about it.

So she pulled her mind over to the other recent issue that had taken over her thoughts… this pokemon accompanying them.

There was no denying that, if she understood all the facts correctly, this grass-type was very unusual indeed.

_A grass-type wanting to go up this icy peak? What's it want up here anyways? Judging from the will it's shown, I don't think it's looking to commit suicide… and besides, I can think of a multitude of better ways to go about killing myself if I wanted to._

As she looked at the pokemon… an errant thought crossed her mind.

"_You're too unusual to be a normal Vulpix"_

It was something she had heard once before… a couple years back. At first, she wasn't sure why this memory had resurfaced. It was hardly something that mattered to Elisa anymore. That past was behind her… she doubted she would ever meet the particular individual who had said that, ever again.

However, her mind soon connected the dots and it implanted an idea in her mind.

_I wonder…_

-0-

Kendel woke up, an intense headache throbbing through his skull.

_Ugh… ow… could someone get me the ID number of the Rhyhorn that charged me?_

On top of the headache was fact that he remembered clearly getting kicked in the face and he wondered candidly just how bad the bruise looked, which he knew was there.

Looking around, he could tell quickly that he was in a tent, on the ground near Elisa, who was watching him with a rather brooding expression.

Looking around more, he quickly settled any concerns over Kale when he saw the Lucario simply seated elsewhere in the small tent, lost in his own thoughts as well. The bruise he had was already almost healed and vanished.

The pain Kendel was feeling soon faded. When he felt ready, he stood up and looked himself over.

Nothing had really changed. He was still a Shaymin… still landbound… still with this human girl.

"Hey." Elisa said gently and it took Kendel a moment to realize she was actually speaking to him, not Kale. Once he looked up at her, she spoke again.

"Are you feeling okay now? You took quite a hit out there."

Kendel nodded, feeling a little happier knowing that she was concerned for him.

_She really is nice. I guess I might owe Kale an apology… I jumped to conclusions about Elisa just based on the fact she was a trainer._

Then he noticed Elisa's expression, which was nothing less than strange. It wasn't sad or angry… but it wasn't cheerful or happy to see him recovered either. It was a look he honestly couldn't identify.

It was clear though that Elisa was thinking about something. Whatever it was seemed to trouble her.

Kendel settled back down, getting ready to get more rest. He was pretty sure they wouldn't be heading out anytime soon so the only thing to do was to get some sleep, even though he had already slept plenty in the last hour or so.

"Hey… do you have a name?"

Kendel blinked and looked up at Elisa, unsure if he had heard her right. There was no possible mistake that she had spoken, as it was positively her voice he had heard.

"Do you have a name for yourself?" Elisa repeated, apparently unsure if he had heard her the first time.

It went without saying that he was a little surprised at the question, which had seemingly come out of nowhere.

"Oh nevermind… it's a silly question." Elisa said dismissively when Kendel didn't respond immediately, "_Imagining things…_" she mumbled afterwards, looking away.

"Wait!" Kendel said quickly though gently and he reared up to put his front legs up on her leg so he didn't need to crane his neck to look up at her. This regained Elisa's attention and Kendel nodded as vigorously as possible as soon as she was looking at him again.

"You do?" she said, and Kendel slowed and nodded once, firmly.

The human girl visibly swallowed, apparently bracing herself for something, then asked:

"Is… your name isn't Rick by any chance… is it?"

Kendel found himself blind-sided by her inquiries once more. He didn't know anyone by the name of Rick, and quite obviously _his_ name wasn't Rick. He was immediately wondering where this question had come from as well. She sounded slightly tense.

He shook his head. _"No._"

Elisa sighed… and her entire body seemed to do likewise. It was like his answer had both relieved her… and depressed her at once.

Kendel looked around… searching for something to write with. She had asked about his name… so he wanted now to tell her what it was. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything to write with, and after a few moments, he realized that even if he could find pencil and paper, he probably wouldn't be able to write anyways the way he was. He would be too awkward with any method he could try.

It took several more seconds of thought… but he thought of a way to show his name.

He concentrated, trying to will leaves or something long to grow. He felt something sprout from him and then willed it fall away like the leaves he had pitched at opponents before.

When he looked, he saw roughly what he wanted: leaves that were fairly slender.

_Good, I can shape this out…_

And so, like a child arranging blocks, Kendel took the leaves one at a time in his mouth and carefully arranged them, forming one letter at a time. There were more than enough leaves for him to work with, though he had to tear some up. Elisa observed his task in silence.

When he was done… Kendel stepped back and viewed his work. It was a rough image, but he could see the letters clearly. Elisa leaned a little closer, looking at the letters carefully.

"Ken… dal… Kendel…" she murmured, reading "Is that your name?" she asked, glancing over at him.

He nodded smiling… a human being who he could share his name with, even in his current state. For whatever reason, the act gave him a feeling of hope. Perhaps it was doing something he thought he would never be able to do… perhaps it was just the fact he was communicating with a human once more… if only this once.

Elisa straightened up, thinking again and staring at Kendel, as if she were trying to see if the name actually fit him. She finished thinking with a smile on her face. Once again, it was a sad sort of smile; it had a certain cheer to it, but it also was somewhat downcast. Why it was? Kendel had no idea.

"Well, I'm happy to have met you, Kendel." Elisa said, her smile losing the sadness behind it. She then leaned down and gave him a light kiss on the head.

"Thank you for helping Kale in that battle."

Two things happened at once.

First, Kendel could instinctively sense the sincere gratitude that Elisa was expressing and his close contact with her had him feeling the warmth that was that gratefulness practically inside him. As a result, he burst into bloom.

And second… he became quite overwhelmed with embarrassment at being kissed. He felt an odd weakness in his legs, yet they remained as stiff as lead pipes. His face was burning now and he was sure it was bright red.

Elisa was understandably startled when she saw the small bouquet of flowers that sprouted from his back and after her initial surprise passed, she burst out in a delighted laugh.

"Did you do that for me?" she asked curiously as she continued to giggle.

Kendel shook his head only slightly left and right, his eyes wide with shock. One could barely tell he was shaking his head at all. He felt so sheepish that even if he could've spoken English to Elisa, he wasn't sure he would've been able to say anything.

As usual, after a few seconds, the flowers dropped their petals and retreated into Kendel again, leaving a small mess behind like confetti.

"Well, it was nice either way. Thank you." Elisa said kindly. She then decided it was time to get to sleep. Kendel stood there several minutes before he finally collapsed and went to sleep himself. His heart was going wild. He just couldn't believe it: he'd been kissed by a girl… for the first time. And he just had to be a pokemon when it happened. If he hadn't been so exhilarated by the experience, he might've cursed to himself over it.


	21. Knowledge

_**Hmmm... I'm having my doubts about this Fan-fict... perhaps I'll just cancel it.**_

_**Still, here's another chapter. Hope you all enjoy.**_

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 21: Knowledge

The next morning Kendel awoke and looked around the tent drowsily. Elisa wasn't up yet… but Kendel didn't feel he could get back to sleep even though it looked like it was still dark out

_Great… who knows how long I'll have to wait now. I'm not going out into that blizzard alone._

It wouldn't have been too difficult for Kendel to get out of the tent, being that the zippers for the door-flap were at the bottom. But if he went out into the snow, he would freeze to death. He knew that already from trying to hike through only about a mile of the stuff. A mile was relatively little for a human… but for Kendel and his present state of existence, it might as well have been a hike half way around the world.

He lay there, waiting as patiently as he could. After about a minute, he got up and started pacing around on the floor of the tent. It got his brain running as he considered his abilities and what he was doing next.

Of course, it also got him thinking about Mew's statement that was still confusing him to no end.

"_What else was I supposed to change? I couldn't see anything else to change about you that you couldn't do yourself._"

The more Kendel thought about it, the more he could think of things that Mew could've changed easily.

_He could've allowed me to fly… maybe given me some ability without transforming me… I don't know… but why transform me entirely if my wish was to be more like him? He could've done something so much simpler, right? It was either that or just not do anything. He didn't have to grant a wish…_

This enigma continued to puzzle him until Kale got his attention.

Kendel wasn't sure if he had woken up Kale with his pacing around or if he had simply woken up on his own, but either way, Kale spoke up.

"The psychic-aura up in this mountain is not far..."

Kendel hadn't been aware that the Lucario was awake until just then so he nearly didn't hear the statement, quiet as it was. He looked up at Kale though.

"If you wish, I could carry you there and we could investigate together." Kale said.

The former human considered only a second before he nodded.

-0-

After carefully opening the tent during a lull in the wind outside and zipping it closed again, Kale carried Kendel outside and they headed around the tent and went towards a cluster of trees, which he simply pushed his way through. The mountain air chilled Kendel, prompting the cold-sensitive nerves in his body to ache with pain, but he simply attempted to ignore this.

When they emerged from the trees, no snow was coming down, leaving the air clear… and colder than before.

_Argh… I wish this body Mew put me into wasn't so sensitive to cold!_

Kendel was actively shivering now. Then Kale gently pressed him closer to his chest and covered him more the best he could. The change in cover wasn't perfect, but Kendel certainly felt warmer partially covered by the white fur on Kale's torso.

Kale soon came to a halt and it was clear why in seconds.

Before them was a very wide lake. Kendel felt like he'd seen this lake before, but he knew that couldn't be right as he had never been up to Snowpoint or anywhere near the city, even as a human.

"Lake… V-verity?" He murmured, still shivering slightly. Kale glanced down at him.

"You know the name of this body of water?"

Kendel shook his head though.

"Can't be… Verity's b-back near Sandgem." Kendel said, trying to keep his voice even despite the cold. Yet, he couldn't deny that this lake looked nearly identical, save for the trees around it and the fact the surrounding area was covered in snow. There was even the island in the middle.

"Well, whatever the name is… I can see the aura coming from underwater in the middle of the lake," Kale said, "How do you propose we get you to that island?"

Swimming was obviously out of the question for either of them. Kale would likely last only a minute in that icy water, Kendel… five seconds even if he could swim.

As he was thinking on what to do, Kendel noticed something below the water that caught his attention. He quickly focused and let leaves fall. Then he willed the leaves towards the thing underwater.

They shot into the water and seemed to lose their will not long after going in.

However, the attempt had gotten the attention of whatever was below. After a second, it headed up and surfaced. It had blue skin, a crown-like array of bone across its fore-head, and a duck's bill for a mouth.

"Hey, did that grass-type you have there just try attacking me?" The Golduck asked, a little disbelievingly, his question aimed at Kale.

"I need transport to that island in the center." Kendel said before Kale could possibly answer the question.

"Oi, and what gives you the idea you can just boss me around? I can tell you're not exactly in any condition to be walking around yourself." The mallard retorted.

"I can't… but I need transport and the only thing I can do is ask someone who can swim and handle the cold water…" Kendel answered, "So please… will you just give me one trip there and back? That's all I ask."

The Golduck blinked, a little stunned with the frank, direct answer but after a few seconds of mulling it over, it responded.

"Very well. Since you're asking politely and you seem to be honest. I suppose I can do it if it's just one trip there and back." The water-type conceded, "But whatever you're planning to do in there, make it quick, I don't plan on waiting for you all morning, got it?"

He then swam up to the edge of the lake, at Kale's feet and the Lucario crouched down as the water-type bowed his head slightly. Kale then carefully placed Kendel on top of the Golduck's head where he held on the best he could.

Without any further word, the duck then turned and swam across lake at a fast speed, while still moving gracefully and smoothly. It was only a few seconds and they were at the island, where the Golduck inclined its head and Kendel quickly scrambled off onto the semi-dry rock. He glanced back at the Golduck, giving it a small nod as a thank you and then ran towards the cave that stood open in front of him before the cold could sap him of his strength any further or cause him any more pain.

-0-

Inside, Kendel headed down a spiraling path and emerged into a wider cave, which had one large, shallow pool stretching to nearly every corner of the cave's interior.

Much to Kendel's relief, the walls seemed to afford the cave some insulation from the cold outside as it was at least comfortable to Kendel inside the cave, if not warm.

He edged closer to the water and cautiously placed a foot in the water, testing the temperature. To his displeasure, the water was quite chilly and he quickly withdrew the foot from the water.

_How to get across the water to explore the cave more? I don't think it would be ideal to risk crossing this water and getting wet… not with how cold it is. And judging from what that pokemon outside said, I don't have all day to think this through._

This problem somewhat solved itself though as the one and only resident of the cave spoke up and approached Kendel.

"A visitor… not a common thing for me in this wintery location."

The voice was calm, casual, and seemed pleasantly surprised. It certainly wasn't Mew's voice. The speaker sounded considerably more mature.

"So, since you've come all this way, why don't you introduce yourself?"

The cave's resident then came into view, hovering over the ground.

The pokemon was no bigger than Mew and had much the same body proportions: a small body and arms with a fairly large head. It was considerably different though, in that it was primarily blue. Its head was ridged along the top, dome-like, and yellow with a large, red object like a gem on its forehead, giving the pokemon a look as if it were wearing an over-sized helmet. It also sported two tails, which each ended in tassel-like tips and it seemed to lack any real feet, having only two very short appendages that could've been either legs or feet. The pokemon's eyes were closed so if Kendel hadn't known better, he might've thought it was asleep.

"Er… Kendel…" the Shaymin answered, "I don't suppose anyone else is in this cave?" He asked, already guessing the answer and feeling some disappointment.

"No. You are the first visitor I have had in a good, long while. My name is Uxie. If I may ask: what brings you to my simple place of residence?" He asked, his tone smooth and polite. Kendel found himself oddly taken aback by it.

"I'm… I'm looking for another pokemon called Mew. He's clearly not up here though."

Uxie's head rose slightly so if his eyes had been open, he would've been looking directly at Kendel.

"Mew… interesting… I wondered what that force I was detecting up Mount Coronet was… perhaps that is Mew…" Uxie commented, sounding as casual as ever.

_Coronet… I should've guessed as much…_ Kendel mentally groaned.

"I'll be on my way." The former human's tone was dull.

"I also find it interesting that a Shaymin has braved this icy peak, just to look for a pokemon they didn't know was here or not…" Uxie added in as Kendel was turning to leave.

Kendel paused, his irritation with psychic-types in general continuing to climb.

He was quite aware already from Kale's information that this was a psychic-type pokemon, so he wasn't surprised that it knew what he looked like (despite its closed eyes) enough to know what he was… and he guessed Uxie just knew enough information to know about Shaymin as a species.

_I might never want to see another psychic-type pokemon ever again if I'm ever human again…_

He glanced back at Uxie.

"I'm just looking for Mew to have a mistake corrected…" he said, through somewhat clenched teeth.

"Such as a human turned into Shaymin, looking to be turned back?" Uxie asked. Kendel turned back around, his temper rising.

"I haven't read your mind," Uxie assured him before he could even get the words out, "A… close companion of mine saw something _most_ interesting about a week ago. She thought it ideal to share it with myself and one other. Perhaps you've heard of her, as I deduce you used to live somewhat near Lake Verity?"

The tone of this statement was so calm and unassuming that it managed to leave Kendel speechless for a few seconds and his aggravation failed in him.

_Wait… Lake Verity near Sandgem? There's a legend about a pokemon living in that lake if I recall right._

Kendel had visited Lake Verity only a couple times, but he had of course heard about the pokemon there, though he had never learned the name of it.

"Whether you know her name or not is of no consequence, though I would recommend visiting her some time… meeting you just brings back some memories for me, that is all." Uxie said, contemplatively, "I wonder if you will be like _him_?"

That last murmured statement left Kendel wondering who Uxie was talking about.

"At any rate… You had best scale Mount Coronet next in your search. And I wish you luck, Kendel. " Uxie finished politely, inclining his head.

Kendel turned towards the exit once more, feeling extremely odd and his mind, jumbled. He proceeded back the way he had come, trying to put his mind back in order and figure out what Uxie had been talking about. Uxie hadn't attacked him at all… and yet Kendel's brain felt about as scrambled as when Mew had slammed him with Confusion.

Outside, the Golduck was still waiting and Kendel climbed aboard.

Before long, he was reunited with Kale who carefully picked him up off of the Golduck's head. By this point, Kendel's brain was thinking at least somewhat straight and he was feeling very irritated again.

"I gather Mew wasn't down there? You did not take very long at all." Kale said.

Kendel grumbled just one thing as they headed back:

"I hate psychic-types…"


	22. Snowpoint

**_It seems I misjudged the popularity of my story. People like it a lot more than I previously thought. Sometimes, it's nice to be wrong.  
><em>**

**_On a side-note: I've given a fellow writer by the name of SnivyPro18 permission to use Elisa in a fan-fict of his own. It's an AU but it promises to be interesting. Look up "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: A Spark in the Darkness" if you're interested.  
><em>**

**_Anyways, another new chapter. Enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living A Legend

Chapter 22: Snowpoint

Kale and Kendel returned to the tent without issue and as they reentered the tent, they accidentally woke up Elisa in so doing.

She initially looked a little annoyed at being woken up quite so early, but her expression soon changed, showing her curiosity.

"What did you two go out there for?" she mumbled. It was a rhetorical question, being that neither of them could actually answer her in English. Kale simply glanced in the direction of the lake and nothing more.

Kendel was just happy to be out of the snow and into the shelter of the tent, though he was still cold and there was little to be done about it in the given environment. He felt a little better though once he curled up near Elisa and her sleeping bag, which had gathered her body heat as she slept, making the inside of the bag quite comfortable. Elisa herself was fairly warm too of course.

"Well, we're continuing onto Snowpoint City today. Hope you find whatever you're looking for in-town." She said, yawning as she started to get up.

Kennel wished dearly he could tell Elisa directly that he had already found what he came for… or rather, searched the place he had come up here to search. However, to get the message to her would've taken a great deal of effort and it was conceivably impossible depending on how attentive she was to details among others things. He doubted that even Kale could effectively get the message across to her.

On top of that, Kendel didn't really wish to inconvenience Elisa or Kale by insisting they go back down the mountain just to drop him off. Not until Elisa's own business up here was finished.

_I guess I'll just have to tag along for the trip to Snowpoint. If I weren't stuck in a body like this, I might actually enjoy the idea of seeing what Snowpoint's like._

This decided, Kendel simply huddled into the sleeping bag as Elisa went around the small space of the tent, getting ready to move out. Preparations took a few minutes, by the time Elisa collected Kendel to place in her bag for security from the cold, he was at least feeling comfortably warm again.

It was another few minutes as she packed up the tent and got it all put away, then they headed out, Kendel wrapped and bundled away in the bag of supplies.

The trip towards Snowpoint wasn't as long as the trip up the pass. There were no trainers, but a good deal of grass growing through the snow, which was helped by the groups of trees they were travelling through which sheltered most of the ground from the snow. The area near the lake was really a mild forest, coated in snow.

They continued to encounter wild pokemon, though Kale was not taken by surprise in any of the battles this time around and served as Elisa and Kendel's protection quite effectively.

As he continued to hear these battles take place every now and then, Kendel couldn't help wishing he could see through the bag, or at least be able to endure the cold to watch. He'd never seen a pokemon of Kale's strength and caliber fight and he was interested in seeing more than what little he had when he was outside the bag. At the same time though, he did not desire to feel the pain the cold air would bring him. He had already had quite enough of that.

And so, he stayed where he was, simply listening to the battles take took place outside his secure confines.

-0-

The trip through the mountain continued without major incident and they soon arrived at Snowpoint City.

The first thing Elisa did was visit the local Pokemon Center to have Kale's injuries from battle treated and his overall condition checked.

While they were in the center, Kendel got Elisa to open the bag more and Kendel poked his head out and looked around.

The center wasn't much different from the one at Sandgem… or any other town for that matter. There was the main desk, where the building's nurse was station near a healing device.

The only real differences were the people who were in the place. Pretty much all the people in the building were bundled up for the cold outside. The building itself was heated and felt quite comfortable for Kendel.

One or two people who passed by Elisa noticed Kendel on their way by and he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed under the common reaction: adoration. He couldn't blame many of them for the reactions either, as he really did look rather cute.

He was grateful though that they seemed to simply assume that he was a pokemon that Elisa had caught and was just keeping in her bag rather than a pokeball. Most assumed that she was just giving him time outside the ball and keeping him in-place by keeping him in her bag. Thus, Kendel finally found himself making eye contact with humans again, without them wanting to capture him.

_Now if only I was human again, everything would be just peachy._

Kale came back from the check-up a minute or two later, looking a little awkward.

"No matter how many times I go through all that, I don't think I'll ever get used to how things work in these places…" he murmured, somewhat to himself, though Kendel heard him and was the only one who could understand him.

The check-up completed, Elisa re-secured Kendel in her bag and they headed outside again. Predictably, Elisa headed to the pokemon gym, located in the middle of the city.

The inside of Snowpoint's gym was like a freezer… that was Kendel's first impression when he managed to work his head out of the bag again. The air was cold, but unlike outside, the cold simply hung on the air, rather than blowing or seeping into the bag. Looking out of the bag did chill Kendel somewhat, but he felt he could stand the cold at least for a few minutes at a time. The floor of the gym was like a pit coated in ice with patches of snow in places. There were stairs installed in the midst of the ice on the slope in places. Of course, there were a number of trainers, spread across the gym, waiting to try the newest challenger that had arrived when she got close enough. The person that Kendel could only assume was the gym leader was waiting on a stand at the opposite wall to the entrance.

Along with the trainers… were a number of oversized snowballs which were also spread throughout the gym.

"Ugh… and I thought Veilstone City's gym gimmick was annoying. At least Kale could help with that…" Elisa murmured as she looked at the veritable ice-rink that lay before her.

She then looked at Kale.

"You ready to do this, Kale?" she asked gently.

Kale nodded once, firmly without hesitation.

As Elisa started forward, Kendel wisely decided to duck back into the bag. Very wise indeed.

Elisa inhaled sharply when she stepped onto the ice and promptly skidded forward until she hit ground that had better grip where she needed to keep her balance and keep herself from falling down from coming to a halt. Kale followed her though he used a little more care and his paws managed to allow him a bit more traction.

Elisa took a few minutes to catch her breath as she had been rendered breathless by her trip across ice. Had Kendel not ducked back into the bag, he might've fallen out.

"Having fun with the ice? How about some fun with battling me now?" a nearby trainer offered.

Elisa turned, getting her nerves back together and Kale stepped in front of her, ready to take on her opponent's team.

"Alright. Let's do this."

Kendel, to his own regret, wasn't in any condition to spectate the fight as he had been half-buried under other items in the bag when Elisa had… "glided" across the ice. He had to dig his way through the items and by the time he got near the surface again, the battle had already ended with Elisa and Kale victorious.

This procedure continued to repeat itself as Elisa continued on her way through the gym, moving across the ice and navigating her way forward. No matter how hard he tried, Kendel found he couldn't really avoid getting reburied. On the other hand, the effort kept him working and thus it helped him keep warm despite how cold it might've been outside the bag.

After perhaps a half hour of skating (in a loose sense of the word) and fighting the teams of other trainers, Elisa finally navigated to the front of the stand in the gym, where the gym leader waited. Elisa took a moment to get her bearings again and prepare for the fight she was about to start against the leader. She looked over Kale and checked for any major injuries or other things that required treatment. She checked in her bag and found Kendel was lost in the depths. Somewhat exasperated, she helped him to the surface before extracting a potion from the bag and applying it to any injuries Kale had.

_After this, I never want to ride in a bag ever again._ Kendel thought as he resurfaced from under the inventory for the umpteenth time.

He then looked up at the stand where the gym leader was. It was a girl, much like Gardenia back at Eterna City. Her hair was black with a couple of decorations on the temples of her head and it was braided in the back into a pair of pigtails. She wore white blouse with a large, blue ribbon positioned over her chest. A blue sweater's arms were tied around her waist and there was a light-brown skirt that was rather short. As Elisa straightened up from treating Kale and approached the gym leader, Kendel could also see her brown shoes and blue-&-white striped socks.

How she could stand around in this gym with most of her legs exposed to the cold like that, was beyond Kendel. In fact, she wasn't very heavily dressed at all and Kendel had to wonder why she didn't freeze to death when she set foot outside the gym.

She introduced herself to Elisa as Candice and briefly complimented her ability to arrive at the stand where she had been waiting.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Elisa responded, "My name's Elisa Gramiar, and I've come here to earn a badge."

With that said, Kale stepped forward and Candice pulled out a pokeball, calling out her first pokemon to take on challengers with: it was a Snover, like the one Kendel had met at the base of the mountain.

Kendel was able to watch this fight and as the battle started, he felt a thrill run through his nerves.

_Finally… I can see what Kale's like in a fight._

On Candice's command, the Snover blew on the air, freezing some moisture in the air before it, and then launched a barrage of ice-crystals at Kale.

Kale shielded his face from the ice and, following Elisa's command, he advanced on the Snover and struck fast and hard with Force Palm. Kendel winced slightly at the sound of the impact. The Snover went down in one.

Calling the pine tree-like pokemon back, Candice sent out another pokemon, looking a little stunned at the sheer power Kale was demonstrating. Her next pokemon was a Medicham, similar to the one they had encountered on the way up to the city.

"Kale, can you use Dragon Pulse?" Elisa asked. Kale nodded as the Medicham was readying its attack. He then inhaled deep and bellowed loudly at the Medicham. A wave of sheer force was generated by this yell and hit the gym leader's pokemon, knocking it back. The Medicham proved to be fairly tough though and remained standing so it could counter attack with a Force Palm strike.

Kale was clearly a more experienced and skilled opponent though as he moved to avoid this attack rather easily and on Elisa's orders, he struck back at a speed Kendel had never seen anything living thing move at. The Medicham was knocked clear off its feet and tried to stand up again but collapsed, prompting Candice to call it back into its pokeball.

_I didn't even see where or how Kale hit it. That was… geez, it was just fast, I can't think of any other way to describe it._

Candice's next pokemon was, to Kendel great discomfort, a Sneasel. He recognized the species of pokemon that had nearly killed him on arriving at the snowy pass.

However, all present seemed to know that Kale had the crushing advantage here. The Sneasel was clearly uncomfortable just looking at Kale and Candice looked glumly apologetic towards her pokemon. Dispatching the dark/ice-type was little trouble for Kale.

Candice's final pokemon, and it was evident that she had saved it for last in hopes of some intimidation factor, was a rather massive... thing that Kendel had no idea what he was looking at. It had a massive body with a rather bristly-looking exterior and green hands and feet. It was only after a minute of looking at it that it occurred to Kendel:

_Wait… does that one pine tree evolve into THAT?_

The Abomasnow stretched and flexed a bit once it was out of the ball and leered down at Kale, clearly ready and willing to take his relatively small opponent down.

Following commands from Elisa as usual, Kale advanced, striking quickly with a Force Palm attack. It didn't surprise Kendel when, though it staggered under the blow, the monster-like Abomasnow remained standing. After recovering from this, it promptly jumped on Kale in a hard body-slam that sent bits of plant matter flying from it. Kale skidded back under the harsh blow and shook himself off afterwards, looking heavily bruised.

Candice's pokemon didn't look much better off though as the blow had clearly worsened the injuries it had already sustained. The leader moved forward and quickly applied a potion to her pokemon's wounds, something it was visibly relieved to feel.

Elisa did like-wise for Kale, also treating the Lucario's injuries with a potion of her own.

Both trainers then moved back and Kale struck first with the same, blindingly fast strike he had finished the Medicham with. The Abomasnow withstood this attack as well and countered with a barrage of snow that seemed like an attempt to bury Kale under the attack. Kale managed to retreat under the attack, though not without getting hurt fairly badly.

Elisa didn't speak but Kale glanced back at her and she nodded once upon seeing his serious expression.

"You're a fine opponent," Kale complimented the Abomasnow, "But I'm ending this now." He then stepped back and Kendel could see he was focusing hard.

His paws glowed a pure, snowy white. Then the light gathered between his paws, forming into a compact ball and growing very quickly.

_How's he doing that? What is that?_ Kendel thought, watching this with mild awe.

Once the orb was slightly larger than his own head, Kale launched it at his opponent, letting out a war-cry.

The massive tree-like pokemon attempted to endure its way through this attack as well, but the ball of energy clearly was more powerful than its size might've suggested.

It hit, knocking the Abomasnow clean off its feet and it was down for the count.

In a show of respect, Kale placed a paw over his own heart and bowed his head before speaking:

"Well fought."

Candice called back her last pokemon, looking mildly disappointed at losing but impressed nonetheless.

"You've got quite the Lucario there. Perhaps I should've had a stronger team ready for you." Candice said, addressing Elisa.

"We've been together from the start," Elisa responded, "We know how each of us think. We simply worked as a team. Something I know how to do." She said a fond note in her voice.

Candice smiled brightly.

"I can see that, I lost fair and square. You've earned this." The leader then handed Elisa a small badge that was somewhat hexagon-shaped, which Elisa accepted and placed in a slot in her license case.

"Thank you."

Kendel was a little breathless from watching the fight and sank back into the bag, his thoughts racing, wondering about all that he had just seen.

_That was all so… so cool! What was that last attack Kale used?_

Outside, Elisa and Candice exchanged a last couple of pleasantries, and then Elisa departed, moving across the ice with as much care as she could manage. They soon were at the door to the gym.

"Alright Kale. Back to the Pokemon Center. We've earned a break." Elisa said, and they headed out of the doors.


	23. An Old Past, Renewed Hope

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 23: An Old Past, Renewed Hope

Kendel found himself waiting in Elisa's bag yet again as she took Kale to the Pokemon Center at Snowpoint yet again to have his injuries from battling Candice's team treated.

Elisa relaxed on a nearby chair as she waited the few minutes it would take, watching Kendel peering around the place.

It wasn't long before Kale had been healed and restored to full strength again, though like before, he looked a little bewildered as he returned. To Kendel, the expression seemed so out-of-place among his otherwise quiet, confident features.

"Shall we take a look around Snowpoint while we're here?" Elisa suggested to Kale, "Kendel can try and spot whatever he's looking for while we're looking around too."

It didn't seem unlikely that Elisa had guessed he was a guy by his name. "Kendel" didn't really sound like a feminine name after all…

Kale glanced at Kendel for an answer.

"I'm stuck traveling with you two until we get off this snowy peak. So Elisa can look around if she wants, I have no say in the matter really." Kendel admitted with a tilt of the head that was a shrug.

Kale seemed to decide otherwise though and shook his head gently in response to Elisa's suggestion.

"No? Alright, I just hope Kendel found whatever he was looking for up here. I don't know if he could get here again once we're down. I don't plan on a return trip up here." Elisa said with a concerned look at the Shaymin.

_I did… more or less… at least I confirmed it isn't up here. It's time to get up Mt. Coronet. Just need to get down to the base of it again where I can start scaling it._

Elisa double-checked her supplies, made sure Kendel was secure within the bag and then she slung it over her shoulder as before and she headed out with Kale at her side.

They were soon headed down the mountain.

-0-

On the way down, Kendel poked his head carefully out of the bag. The air was as chilly as ever but the fact his body was being kept warm was enough for him to endure the cold outside. Kale was walking alongside, perfectly in-view.

"Hey Kale… I was watching that battle you had with the gym leader, Candice. Have you always been so skilled?"

Kale glanced down and a rather rueful smile curved his lip.

"No. No one ever is. Many give up time and energy that could be spent on other things to get such strength. I've always felt I've paid a higher price than I had to for mine."

Of course, Kendel asked what he meant as the statement seemed somewhat cryptic to him.

"What you have to understand, Kendel… is that I did not always value the family I had back in the world I came from. I left them, seeking adventure. It was only after I lost one that I realized just how much I had been taking them for granted."

Kendel felt a good deal of sympathy for Kale, being that he had an idea of what he meant. Kendel was still missing his own family.

"When I first ended up in this new realm, this new world… the first thing on my mind almost at all times was my son. He has always been in the back of my mind. I've worried about him many times. I've always been grateful for his support… for the love he's shown me despite my foolishness. Now that we may never meet again… I can only hope that Elisa hasn't managed to trick me somehow."

"Huh? How could she trick you? You'd be able to tell if she was lying right?" Kendel asked, puzzled.

"True… but if one is a skilled liar, they may be able to fool even those who can see aura. There is also the possibility that she could simply be wrong and only believe she is telling the truth." Kale explained, "My only comfort is the belief that she is neither a liar nor mistaken. I know from my experience with her that she is an honest human so I do not believe I need to worry about lies."

Kendel took a minute to think this over and digest the information in his mind before speaking again. He was tempted to ask about why Kale considered his own past actions foolish, but decided against it, feeling it was too personal a question and he didn't wish to offend the Lucario or anything of the sort.

So he settled on the other question that had been buzzing around his head.

"That last attack you used in that battle… what was that? I've never seen anything like it."

"Aura Sphere? It is an attack that few pokemon know… and it is a truly powerful move." Kale said solemnly.

There was that word again: "aura". Kendel had heard about it a few times now by Kale but he didn't really know what it was.

"So... that white orb you threw at the… er… giant (Kendel didn't know it was called an "Abomasnow") was aura?"

Kale nodded in response.

"Is all aura white like that?"

Kale smiled, again in a regretful manner.

"Actually most aura is blue, red, or a variety of other possible colors. Why mine is unique as it is, I can only assume is due to my past. It was black once."

As he spoke, Kale raised a paw and looked at contemplatively as a white flame silently engulfed the paw. Kendel watched the paw, seeing the aura and tried to picture it black. The idea sent an odd shiver though him.

"The color of an aura says much in general about the owner. My shame in myself brought about my previous color… my son helped me to realize my self-worth though and that was when it changed." Kale said quietly, then he looked at Kendel, "Just to confirm this… you said you are actually human and you were turned into that form?"

Kendel was a little surprised by the question.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Kendel responded uncertainly.

Kale's paw extinguished itself and he reached up and gripped the scarf around his neck and gently pulled it free so it was draped over his paw.

Now that it was off of its owner, Kendel could see the scarf better. It looked like it had been through a lot of action. It was tattered and the cloth looked very old indeed.

However, emblazoning the scarf was a metallic emblem that Kendel had never seen before. It looked like a badge, but it wasn't a gym badge, Kendel was sure of that much. At least, if it was a gym badge, it wasn't local.

The badge in question looked a little like a pokeball with a gem in the center where the release button would've been. There were a pair of wings attached to the ball.

"When I met Elisa, she was a very different person than she is now. She pushed me away at all times… she tried to act as though I were not present. I could not understand why she did all that… but in the same day, she came to my rescue when I was about to be killed. She had changed considerably. There was no explanation I could see for her sudden change. I wondered what had happened." Kale said gazing at the badge.

"Then I found this in her residence…"

Kendel raised an eyebrow.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Kale's expression was serious now.

"If it hadn't been for this being present, I doubt I would've believed her when she told me that my son was alive and well. She claimed it as her own but gave it to me." Kale said. Kendel remained silent, waiting for further explanation.

"The world I come from… humans are nowhere to be found. This badge… this is an exploration team badge from that world, gained through joining an official team over there."

"Er… a pokemon team? No human leading them?" Kendel asked, to which Kale nodded.

"Teams are composed entirely of pokemon… and that is the thing: a human would not be able to get one of these badges. They would be unable to communicate and I doubt anyone would trust a human due to that lack of communication."

Kendel finally realized where this was going.

"Wait, you don't mean-?"

Kale glanced up at Elisa, who was simply pressing onwards through the snow, not minding the pokemon conversation at her side.

"Yes… I believe Elisa may have been transformed, as you have been. What she was turned into, I have no way of knowing and she's never told me. But I suspect she has been a pokemon once herself."

That fact staggered Kendel, who sank back into the bag, his mind reeling from the information.

_So I'm not the only one… waitaminute!_

He poked his head back out and looked up at Elisa again.

_She found a way to get turned back!_

His shock at the new information turned into mild excitement. He knew someone else now that had been transformed, and he now knew that it was possible to be turned back.

_Now if only I knew how Elisa did it… if I can't convince Mew, perhaps I could find another way!_

The information gave him hope. Becoming human again wasn't impossible, that was confirmed. He just needed to pull it off.

Kale regarded Kendel's excitement with mild amusement.

"My suspicions about Elisa are also why I found it rather easy to believe you when you told me that you were human as well. I knew one human already with that background, so why not another?" Kale said calmly.

"I just wish now that I could ask how she got herself turned back." Kendel said, longing in his tones. Kale chuckled at this.

"I doubt she was turned into a pokemon the same way as you were, so I doubt the way she was turned back would work for you as well. I believe you will likely need find your own way."

Kendel sighed, still longingly.

"Well… at the very least I know I can get turned back. It's possible." He said, feeling warmer than ever now.

Kale smiled and gently rubbed a paw on Kendel's head.

"That will be up to you to achieve, but given your spirit, I think you can do it." Kale assured him as he took the scarf and carefully tied it around his own neck again.

Kendel looked back at the Lucario again and smiled… feeling grateful for the vote of support. He then sank back into the bag and waited.

-0-

It wasn't much longer before Elisa and Kale arrived at the cave going into Mt. Coronet. The trip down the mountain had been easier than going up it.

As she stepped into the cave, Elisa zipped open the bag and gently lifted Kendel out, setting him down on the rock floor.

"Well, this is where we part ways, Kendel. Good luck wherever you go, okay?" Elisa said cheerfully. Kendel nodded, smiling brightly for the first time in a while. The Shaymin then turned and ran off.

* * *

><p>As the minute figure faded into the darkness of the cave, Elisa repacked her bag and glanced over at Kale.<p>

"Hey Kale… did he ever tell you if he was actually human?"

Kale blinked, a little stunned by her deduction.

"Yeah, I've been thinking he might've been originally human for quite a while now. The name, wanting to go up to that icy peak, so many signs." She said in response to his expression, "So did he say?"

Kale smiled in a resigned way and nodded twice.

"Heh, someone else who was transformed…" she murmured fondly under her breath, old memories arising in her mind once more and prompting a smile to spread across her face, "Good luck getting turned back..."

With that, she proceeded forward with Kale to their next destination.


	24. Willpower to Climb

**_My doubts are always asserting themselves as I work at these chapters. There's one or two things I feel I could fix but...  
><em>**

**_Anyways, please enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 24: Willpower to Climb

There was something gratifying for Kendel about being able to go where he wanted again under his own power. No more hanging out in a bag, waiting and having to stick by someone else. He was independent again.

"Alright… time to get to the peak of this mountain, find Mew… and clobber 'im." Kendel told himself, trying to get psyched up a bit for the task.

As he passed through the foggy chamber of the caves, it occurred to Kendel that he had never scaled Mt. Coronet once in his life.

On the one hand, it certainly promised to be interesting if he didn't even know what lay ahead. Adventure, perhaps some excitement. He was actually looking forward to the climb and what he would see on the way.

But on the other hand, the fact he had never climbed this mountain meant that he didn't know the way to the top. He had to hope he wouldn't get lost finding the way up.

_I suppose the only way is to start looking for a way up._

And so Kendel emerged into the northern caves, near where the entrance to Eterna City could be found.

He wandered the caves, trying to ignore most of the resident pokemon that were watching him curiously as he searched for a path that went upwards.

As he searched, he found a passage that humans had clearly opened up some time previously. Likely those hikers that he had seen when he first came to Coronet in this form.

_Hmmmm… if they're like most hikers I can think of, they'd be aiming to go higher as well. So I bet wherever they went, that's the way to the top._

This logic in mind, Kendel proceeded through the tunnel, going south through the mountain. It was a relatively long walk, but after spending so long cooped up in a bag, Kendel relished the leg-work.

He eventually emerged into another chamber, which appeared to be massive pit and he was at the bottom. He proceeded forward, looking for another exit for this chamber to proceed through. He didn't get far before he encountered a rough, rock walls. The room seemed to have little or no smooth slopes to climb, which prompted a mildly aggravated sigh from Kendel.

"How am I supposed to get up?"

Almost as if answering his question, a Graveler came tumbling down into the pit and Kendel had to scurry aside to avoid getting flattened under the rolling rock as it sent splinters of stone flying with each landing before coming to a slow halt at the bottom, where it got up.

The rock pokemon, which looked like a bristly ball of rock with a face, short legs, and two pairs of just-as-short arms, got up and shook itself down, laughing heartily.

"Nothing like a good morning roll." It commented to itself. Kendel found himself rather reminded of a hiker by this statement.

_No wonder hikers like these things… they've got more alike than I ever thought._

The Graveler was about to stump forward the way Kendel had just come when the former human called after it.

"Hey! You can climb these walls right?" he asked.

The Graveler turned, looking a little surprised as it honestly hadn't noticed Kendel, despite almost rolling over him seconds ago.

"Oh, hey what are you? Never seen your kind around here."

Feeling at least thankful it was friendly, Kendel put on a shy smile and responded, explaining that he was Shaymin, then,

"If you can climb, don't mind giving me a ride out of this, er chamber?"

The Graveler stroked the area where Kendel supposed its chin was with one hand, thinking.

"Hm. I could…" then nodded, "I could do with another good roll and that's as good an excuse as any to climb up. Sure, I can give you a ride." The rock-type said with a grin.

"Oh, thank you… thank you so much." Kendel sighed, relieved and approached the Graveler, which got down low. With a little effort, Kendel managed to climb up on top of the Graveler.

Then the rock-type approached the first climbable wall it could find.

"Hang on!" it yelled, excitement clear in its tones. Kendel followed orders just in time. The Graveler charged at the wall and proceeded to climb up it at running speed, bellowing out a yell of excitement as it did so. If Kendel hadn't held on as ordered, he might've tumbled off of the Graveler.

After only a few seconds, they were at the top and the Graveler took a moment to flex a little and loosen up. Then it waddled forward on its short legs.

"This probably my favorite place in the whole mountain." The Graveler commented as they proceeded along the ledge and around the pit, "Great place to just jump and let yourself roll down. Tons of fun." it chuckled.

Kendel smiled. He could hear just how much this pokemon liked the activity in its tone. The fact that it had agreed to give him a ride just so it could go for another tumble also showed how much it clearly liked the activity.

_Yet another pokemon I could envy for its abilities. It really does sound like fun… if it weren't for the fact that I'm not made of rock, so I'd definitely get hurt if I tried that._

It took several minutes for the Graveler to walk around to ledge of the pit (mainly because its short legs meant it was slow), but as they came around, Kendel spotted the way out, which was where the Graveler was headed. They came to another rock wall that was very rough.

"Here we go again." It commented and Kendel gripped the bristles of rock around him as his ride charged the wall and once again, went up the rough incline at amazing speed. It wasn't long before the opening going out was merely a foot or two before Kendel.

"Here's your stop little Shaymin. Maybe I'll see ya around." The Graveler said. Kendel climbed down onto the flat ground and looked up at the Graveler who started to turn around.

"Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it." Kendel said as the Graveler actually jittered a little with excitement.

"No problem. You're missing out on the best part though. YAAAAA-HOOOO!" The Graveler let out a yell of enthusiasm as it leapt off of the ledge it had just climbed and proceeded to bounce and crash off the walls of the pit like a loose wrecking ball. Kendel winced a little at the impacts but couldn't help a slight chuckle as the Graveler finally came to a halt at the bottom and got up, laughing as heartily as it had the first time. It then waved a stumpy arm in farewell to Kendel and walked off.

As Kendel turned towards the exit from the cave, he realized he was feeling cold and the reason why was the air flowing in from outside.

_Oh no… not again…_

There was no denying it: it was going to be cold out there… now that he was actually looking, he could see the snow waiting out there.

_I can't turn back now though. I just went to a lot of trouble to get up here. The only thing to do is just press forward into this… and hope I can find another cave, one that's at least somewhat warm, to duck into._

With this in mind, Kendel braced himself and charged into the snow outside.

As expected, he encountered a blast of cold air and pain surged through his nerves in reaction. He ignored it and looked around quickly for a way forward.

He was in yet another shallow pit though the snow out here was fortunately shallow by comparison to what he'd seen on the route to Snowpoint so he had no trouble walking through it, save for the pain generated by the action. This pit had a slope going down into it on one side and Kendel hurried up the slope.

At the top, he found himself on a narrow path between the pit and what looked to be the side of Mt. Coronet. He didn't waste too much time looking down at the land below though, as that was obscured by a mild fog and besides that, he was more concerned with getting to shelter quickly and going up the mountain.

Looking at the path, he guessed that the way up was to his left as the right-side path seemed to slope downwards. He could've easily been mistaken but he wasn't going to take any time at the moment to really think it though. He was too cold to survive out in this for long.

He turned and hurried to the left, fighting the pain that was coursing through him.

The path went left, around the pit he had emerged from and along what was actually the northern face of the mountain.

He couldn't see a cave though as he proceeded and soon, his body was going numb from the cold.

_N-n-not g-g-g-good… Too… c-cold._

He continued to try and hurry forward, but his attempts to run any further resulted in him tripping and he fell down into the snow.

He remained there for several seconds, his mind racing, his heart pounding, trying keep his entire body warm, but he was freezing out here and there wasn't anything he could do. There was no sunlight to warm him.

Then… as Kendel thought he was going to pass out and die, out in the cold of the mountain-

"Hey there! Whatcha doin' just lyin' in the snow!? I got the impression you had more determination than that!"

It wasn't Mew… Kendel was sure of that much… however, their manner of speech was only slightly less informal than the feline's.

Kendel worked his eyes upwards and saw the speaker.

At first… he thought Uxie had come but the way this pokemon spoke clearly indicated it wasn't him… and when Kendel looked again, he realized the pokemon was different.

The speaker looked much like Uxie… however his head was a darker blue than his body and was triangular in shape (much unlike Uxie) and its eyes were open, showing gold-colored irises. The hovering pokemon otherwise looked just like Uxie: the same body, the tassel-like tail endings, and the fact it was hovering without aid of wings or any other visible force made it clear this was a psychic pokemon… or perhaps a ghost.

"Uxie asked me to come out here and keep an eye out for ya! After hearing about how far you'd come to just try and find this Mew-character, I thought I'd like to meet ya! I like someone with a lot of willpower!"

Kendel's mind was struggling to keep awake despite the cold trying to shut his body down.

"U-uxie?" He would've asked more, but he had hardly the energy to do it.

"Yep! But looks like you're near-frozen in-place." The psychic-type seemed to not be paying attention to Kendel's predicament.

"Er… help?" Kendel managed to get out.

"Help? Well, I suppose I could give you a little boost since Uxie asked me to if you needed it. Just this once though, alright?"

Kendel didn't have any energy to nod, but the pokemon seemed to assume he was going to anyways. It hovered down, close to Kendel and laid a small hand over Kendel's head.

It was a strange feeling, but a surge of energy blasted through Kendel like he was a battery that had just been given a very fast charge. The feeling might've been comparable to a caffeine rush; however it might've been described, Kendel jumped to his feet, his joints stiff and aching through the numbness, but he definitely had the energy to move again.

"Alright. The rest is up to you then! Later!" the psychic-type said, as if he had dropped a simple "hello" and began to fly off.

"Wait! W-who are you!?" Kendel yelled after him.

"Name's Azelf! You don't have time to be chattin' with me though! If you can't make it the rest of the way on that little burst I gave you, then you don't have the will I thought you did!"

The pokemon then vanished into the fog, leaving Kendel where he was.

_I suppose he's got a point._

That thought in-mind, Kendel used the energy boost Azelf had provided and advanced ahead once more, trying to ignore the numbness and what pain he could feel under it as he went.

He went over dips and rises in the ridge but finally he found a cave and pushed his freezing body through, into the shelter of the cave.

Once there… he collapsed on the floor, conscious, but very tired and overall, very sore.

_Ugh… I can be pretty sure Mew's up here I think. But I'm not sure if I'm gonna be in any condition to challenge him like this._

He dragged himself a few more inches into the cave, away from the cold air that was coming in outside and deeper into the cave.

The air wasn't warm… but it wasn't as cold as outside at least, and for that, Kendel was grateful. He could take some time in this cave to let his body warm itself up a bit.

_I suppose I have to be grateful to Azelf too… whoever he is. He apparently knows Uxie though. My trip up to Snowpoint wasn't a __complete__ waste I guess._

Kendel took a minute to try and warm himself up a bit… by the time he felt he could move again, his body had lost the numbness and he was in full-on pain again from cold. His bones ached like they were being sanded away.

But, to his credit, he just tried to ignore the soreness. He could warm up once he found a way down afterwards.

_Right now… I need to deal with Mew… and he should be somewhere ahead if he's here…_

And so, he proceeded, intent on reaching the top.

###

_**On a side-note: I don't believe Azelf's arrival is a complete Deus Ex... at the very least, I hope not. It's not completely unreasonable at the very least.**_

_**Still, if it is, I feel its a necessary evil here, as I couldn't see Kendel getting through that snow without help and Azelf was one that seemed to be the closest thing I could get to something that wasn't a complete pull out-of-nowhere.  
><strong>_


	25. Showdown Atop the Pillar

**_Hmmmm... another new chapter._**

**_Enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 25: Showdown atop the Pillar

Continuing through the cave, Kendel found that it was more like a simple tunnel… and it simply kept going up. He plodded onwards though, continuing to disregard the stiffness he was feeling from his time out, trying to tough-out the cold mountain air.

_I just hope the peak isn't so snowy if Mew is up there._

The tunnel continued to stretch onwards and it didn't take long for Kendel to start wondering how much further he had to go before he reached the end of the tunnel.

The air was getting somewhat thin, but his time up in Snowpoint had given him a little experience with the altitudes and his small body did not demand a whole lot of air in order to breathe. It was a little taxing, but not overly straining on him.

-0-

After several minutes, he finally arrived at a new opening in the cave and paused before it to brace himself for whatever was ahead.

_I'm gonna beat Mew this time… get him to turn me back and get me back home. Then I can talk to Mom again… I hope she's doing okay so far._

It was yet another reason for him to get himself turned back as soon as possible.

_This ends here. I'll make sure of that!_

He then marched forward out into the open air.

And almost immediately let out a small gasp of wonder at what he saw.

Before him, was what appeared to be a massive set of ruins on the very peak of Mt. Coronet. No one could possibly see these ruins from the base of the mountain as it was a wide mountain and this place seemed to be above any clouds that obscured the peak. The sky was overhead with the sun shining down on the area.

The ruins themselves seemed to be mostly columns that had collapsed or some unknown force had torn them apart. The pillars and their large fragments were scattered all over the area.

As he slowly approached the field of pillars, Kendel realized they were all of rather fine craftsmanship and even damaged as they were, they were beautiful pieces of architectural work.

_Oh man… I wish I could scale this mountain as a human now. This place looks like it's full of adventure. Full of discoveries, waiting to be found._

He took a closer look at one pillar, examining the grooves, the wind-blasted stone which had been worn smooth by time and perhaps some ancient event. He looked at the jagged end of the fragment, contemplating what could've broken it so completely.

This place was nearly as good for adventure as the Chateau in Kendel's mind. He found himself immediately liking the place.

_I have GOT to find a way to visit this place again after I get turned back._

Once Kendel finally had looked around enough to satisfy his adventurous urges, he refocused himself on the task he had come for.

_Right… Mew. Where is he?_

During the course of his brief exploration, the sun had warmed Kendel and despite the cool air around him, the boy found he actually felt comfortable again as far as temperature was concerned. The pain from trudging through snow had finally faded.

It didn't take long for Kendel to spot Mew. The pink feline was hovering over an open space of the ruins, waiting and watching Kendel. He had been there the entire time and was simply entertaining himself while he let Kendel explore the area.

Taking a brief moment to ready himself, Kendel marched up to Mew and stopped a short distance from him.

"…Hello Mew." He said rather quaintly and sprouted leaves.

Mew looked up from playing around with the tuft of fur on the end of his tail and released it a moment later to focus upon his opponent.

Kendel willed the leaves at Mew and attempted afterwards to generate more to hurl at the cat.

Mew's response was to try and fly out of the path of the leaves (which didn't work of course, as the leaves simply chased Mew), shielding himself when they hit, then sending a psychic pulse at the attacking Shaymin.

Kendel continued to grow more leaves, his mind enduring through the mental blast that hit. He had already suffered pain from that attack several times before now, he had gotten used to the pain and was better prepared to endure it now. He launched more of his leafy offensive at Mew, trying to overwhelm the cat.

His opponent was more resourceful though. Mew came at Kendel and attempted to wallop him like he had back in the island mine.

The former human scurried out of the way, gathering energy from the plants on his back, and turned around as the energy formed a sizable ball, launching the orb of energy at Mew, catching the feline clean in the face with the attack.

Letting out a surprised yelp, Mew tumbled through the air backwards and came to a halt, shaking his head.

Then Mew seemed to actually become somewhat angry.

Kendel found himself feeling unsettled when Mew quite suddenly was glowing with power.

Then, several rocks lifted themselves from the ground and proceeded to pitch towards Kendel like several invisible hands had thrown them.

_Guh! How am I supposed to compete with force like that?!_

Kendel tried to scramble out of the way, but his small form's only advantage was that he was a small target. He couldn't completely avoid the onslaught of rocks and had to take a moment to unearth himself from the pile afterwards.

"Turn me BACK!" Kendel yelled and hurled yet another volley of leaves at his target.

Mew used one foreleg to shield his face from the leaves, and then Mew launched a very powerful psychic attack upon Kendel.

"Gargh." Kendel staggered under the mind-blast but, determined to beat Mew this time, he gathered another energy ball and launched it at Mew.

The cat was done fooling around though and nimbly dodged around the attack. He then wordlessly launched another blast of psychic power against Kendel.

The boy couldn't stand up under this assault forever and he knew it only too well.

_I got to beat him! I have to beat him now!_

He launched more leaves, trying to wear down Mew before the cat did likewise to him first.

The psychic attacks continued to pound on Kendel's mind like a giant's fists.

Kendel attempted to gather another energy ball to launch at Mew, perhaps catch him in the middle of one of his attacks. His attack was rather cruelly shut down by a harsh blast of psychic power that finally cracked Kendel's attempts to stand up to the assault.

With a pain-filled yell as the attack tore his mind apart, Kendel collapsed.

_Not… again… argh._

Mew let up on his attacks and regarded Kendel without a word.

_I have to beat him… I don't want to have to hunt him down again. Not again. I need to end this._

Kendel shakily got to his feet. Mew sagged, visibly sighing.

"You're determined, I have to give you credit for that." Mew commented, his tone uncharacteristically mature, "But if that's all you've got, you need to get stronger before you can take me on. You need to know more."

Kendel's breaths came hard but he managed to remain on his feet.

"I have to beat you. That's the rules of your game, right? Well, I'm just going to have to give my all." Kendel said bluntly.

"I did that say that," Mew admitted, "But…"

Kendel was floored once more by a psychic attack from Mew.

"-You're not going to beat me at this rate. I'm getting bored with you." Mew said, somewhat petulantly.

_C'mon, STAND UP!_

Kendel tried to force himself up again. He was flattened back to the ground and had no energy left to move.

Mew remained silent as he waited for Kendel to try and get up again.

After perhaps a minute of trying to stand again, Kendel was unable to get up and his consciousness was fading away into darkness.

"_Is this round over? Shall I go find another place to wait for you to find me at?"_ Mew asked, his words echoing into Kendel's head.

Kendel wanted to stubbornly declare "no". He wanted to get up again and keep trying to take down Mew… but his legs wouldn't respond and he was falling unconscious. He didn't want to have to hunt this cat down again for a fourth time.

"_I've already hit you enough that you CAN'T move, Kendel. Don't force me to 'cause more permanent harm to you. I like a good battle, but even I've learned when it's better to stop._"

"N-no… I don't… want to have to… hunt you down… again…" Kendel said, in his mind, struggling to stay conscious.

However, his struggles failed, and he fell away into the blackness of his own mind.

-0-

Mew was there when Kendel began to dream.

The boy remained silent… a sullen, depressed air about him. The cat simply hovered before him, watching.

"…I've had enough." Kendel said, his tone flat, "I couldn't beat you, not even after three attempts, and I don't want to hunt you down again…"

His word came out rough and sharp. He was on the verge of tears… of crying in sheer despair.

"You're giving up?" Mew asked, his tone back to its childish manner.

"…Yes."

Kendel hated himself for admitting it, but he couldn't take anymore. He had put everything he had into that last fight, and he had failed. If he couldn't manage to do it after all he'd been through…

"Silly then, silly now… don't you _ever_ change?" Mew asked.

"SHUT UP!" Kendel snapped, "I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to be changed! I didn't ask for you to TURN ME INTO A FREAKING POKEMON!"

Mew was rather unperturbed by Kendel's outburst… or if he was surprised, he hid it well.

"You could've given me more while leaving me human! But NO! You had to take away everything I had and drag me into this _blasted_ game!" Kendel continued to rant, yelling at Mew and letting loose with all the frustration he had encountered over the last several days.

When he finished, Kendel was breathing very hard… and he was sobbing.

"And what was I to give you, Kendel? What could I give you without completely changing what you were?" Mew asked, "You humans are just as capable of exploration as myself. You don't need flight to be able to go places. You have your own abilities. You even have things I don't." Mew's tone steadily changed until it was clear Mew's tone was accusatory.

"You, Kendel, are _ungrateful_." Mew said bluntly, "You take _far_ too much for granted. How many things have you looked at, or thought of as you pursued me… things that you lost and now wish you had again?"

Kendel could think of plenty of things as an answer to that question: his parents, his ability to run with any speed, his ability to live among people without fear… those were just a few things.

"You had all those things… some traits I have myself and some I don't." Mew continued, his tone icy, "And you wanted to be more like me. You _said_ as much. Well, you could explore like myself, you didn't need flight for that. You talk with people like I can talk with other pokemon, or even humans like yourself. You could play. You could have fun. All those things, I could do too. The only _real_ difference between us, Kendel… was the fact you were human. So that was all that I could change to fit your desire."

At first, Kendel looked up to argue back against this point but as he attempted to think of a response, he realized something rather shocking:

Mew was right.

Looking at Mew as Kendel had interacted with him over this time… Kendel realized that the pokemon may have had more abilities than Kendel… but Kendel was no less capable. As a human, Kendel would've needed to put in more effort… but in the end, he would be capable doing almost anything Mew could do, given the right equipment. Equipment that Mew probably could use as well if it so pleased him.  
>Granting Kendel an ability he normally couldn't do such as the use psychic powers likely would've required physically changing him in some way as Mew had done to him.<p>

Mew's expression was one of pure offense, like he had been unforgivably insulted.

"If you're giving up, I'd like to take you somewhere, you might like it. But I suppose I shouldn't come to expect a 'thank you' from the likes of you. So… do you want to go?" the feline said, his tone harsh.

Kendel was still in a state of mild shock from the realization he had just had forced upon him...

Mew waited a moment… then sighed and his expression softened.

Then he vanished from sight without a sound and Kendel was left to think over what he had just been told.

###

_**Heh, heh... hope I surprised you.  
><strong>_


	26. Gratitude

**_Sorry there isn't much activity this chapter... guess it's just a wind-down from the battle that happened in the previous one.  
><em>**

**_Anyways, hope this is as good as any of my other chapters. Preferably better.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 26: Gratitude

Kendel continued to drift through his own mind.

_The more I think about it, the more I realize that there really isn't anything Mew could've changed about me that would've allowed me something new… not without transforming me entirely._

He certainly couldn't imagine himself flying without the use of wings or some other force and it was likely the only reason Mew could use his own psychic power to fly around, was because he was light. Something would need very powerful psychic abilities or some other skill to fly if they were heavier.

And having powers like psychic powers, those would simply give him another way to accomplish tasks that could be done by hand. Being able to lift things with one's mind was cool… but did that really change what a person could do?

As far as Kendel could tell… it wouldn't change the typical life he had been leading as a human.

Then there was the wording of that wish Kendel had unwittingly made.

Kendel had gotten to know what Mew was like by now, and they actually had a good deal in-common. Mew liked to play, given his playful personality, he probably got into mischief at times, and considering he got so close to Kendel without any concerns, he was at least somewhat adventurous. Had Mew been human, he likely would've been someone Kendel loved to play with. A person much like himself.

There were differences though… in thinking about these differences, Kendel started to wonder about Mew's background, what kind of life he had, and who or what was in that life.

There was one certainty though: in order to make Kendel more like himself, Mew would've had to change him into a pokemon. To leave him human would not have granted the wish as it was worded. "_I wish I was like you._"

It wasn't the spirit that Kendel had been thinking of, but to expect Mew to know what that spirit was, Kendel had to admit was childish. Mew hadn't read his mind, though he had been in it, but that had been simply for communication. He hadn't met any pokemon who had read his mind. So there was no way for Mew to have really known what Kendel had meant… the cat had simply gone by the most literal meaning there was.

_And as much as I don't like being pursued by other people because I'm a pokemon… I have to also admit that this body does have its perks._

Flying was just one thing Kendel had found he actually liked about being a Shaymin. He also found his command of the plant-life on himself rather… cool.

_In the end, it's just that what I have to put up with as a pokemon like this, just doesn't make it worth having these abilities._

-0-

Kendel woke up and he could tell almost immediately that he was no longer on Mt. Coronet.

He could hear the ocean.

Unless the sea-level had risen several dozen feet while he had been unconscious (he had heard vaguely about some fiasco in another region where a group had wanted to flood the planet), Kendel knew there was no way he should've been hearing water at the otherwise dry peak of Mt. Coronet.

He opened his eyes and got up, looking around.

He immediately confirmed upon looking at himself, that he was still a Shaymin.

_And there's probably no way I'm getting turned back now…_

The second thing Kendel realized after that was that he seemed to be on a peninsula. The ocean was lapping away at the edges of the vast area of ground he was lying on with a trail of land going back, back towards a cave.

Kendel was alarmed though because he was completely unfamiliar with the area. He had no idea where he was and for all he knew, he was no longer in Sinnoh region.

His concerns were slightly eased though when, upon looking around even more, he spotted a very large building. It was built over the cave and seemed to tower over everything in the local area, giving off an imposing presence with its castle-like appearance. Kendel wasn't sure what building it was exactly as he was looking at it roughly from the back, but it reassured him that he was at least still among humans. He at least assumed it was human-built.

He looked around more and he was honestly a little depressed by the surroundings. Plain, bare rock. The place felt rather desolate. Even the bit of beach to the south of Sandgem didn't look quite so abandoned and lonely as this place, which was bare of even plant-life.

At the very tip of the peninsula though, there was a fairly tall plinth of rock.

Kendel approached this boulder and examined the base of it, looking for a way to climb up onto it. The sides were unpolished and Kendel judged that he could, with some effort, climb up.

So, he tried to jump off the ground the best he could and get up onto the rock. He honestly wasn't sure why he was investigating this particular rock as there were a few other rocks around the section of land, but for some reason, this one drew Kendel's attention.

Once he had managed to climb up on top of it (which took no small amount of effort from him), Kendel saw why it had gotten his interest.

The top of the rock was completely flat, like a table-top and it was rather polished like someone had come here regularly and shined the top of the rock, preserving the surface. More than anything else though, Kendel noticed that the surface had a number of things written on it, engraved into the rock itself, which was actually rather soft under Kendel's paws.

The words on the rock were mostly names. There were hardly any Kendel recognized, and some were simply the word "mom" or "dad" or some other family position. All were engraved into the stone though with apparent care.

_Well, only a person might've written any of these… or people, given how different these each look._

Kendel looked at the rock, an odd sense of wonder slowly filling him as he gazed at names on the rock.

_What is this? And why are these written here anyways? Who are the people listed here?_

As he pondered this, Kendel's mind sensed a gentle warmth under his feet. He pulled his mind away from his thoughts and felt around the rock with one paw. The rock actually didn't feel very warm, as the ocean around it sapped any heat the sun might've given it.

Yet, when Kendel started to ponder to himself again, he felt that faint warmth.

_Wait a minute, I've felt this warmth before… but, how's that possible with this slab?_

Kendel looked over the rock he was on carefully, but he couldn't see any sign of it being a pokemon, and besides that it was a little large to even be a pokemon. At least, one that Kendel had seen before.

_So why am I feeling THAT from this rock? It's not alive. How could it feel gratitude?_

As he looked at the words again though, it occurred to Kendel that he wasn't so much feeling gratitude from the rock, as he was feeling gratitude that had been _left_ there upon it. The warmth seemed to be focused around the words, gently radiating off of them like they were heated stones. Again… Kendel found himself wondering what this stone was exactly.

There was only one conclusion that Kendel could draw though from what he was sensing.

_People have been writing on this rock in a display of gratitude… and I'm feeling that gratitude leftover in these names._

It was only logical that the names were of people someone was grateful towards. Kendel couldn't help wondering how strongly they had to have been feeling their gratitude though for that appreciation to be left strong enough to be felt, even long after the name had been inscribed upon the stone.

He spent a few minutes wandering across the surface of the rock, looking at the names and feeling the gratefulness he was sensing on the rock. Finally, Kendel couldn't resist:

"Why not? I'll go ahead and add something on here myself."

He looked around a bit and spotted a decent-sized pebble that he figured he could scratch in a name with. He hit a mental brick wall though…

_Who do I put though?_

Kendel found he couldn't really claim a whole lot of gratitude towards his parents… nothing that strong, and anyone that he wasn't extremely grateful towards just did not seem to be a suitable name to put down. And he had no one else in his life to be so grateful towards…

It was a somewhat harrowing realization… having no one he could be exceptionally grateful towards and Kendel's heart seemed to almost break with disappointment.

He wasn't giving up so easily on this task though. Kendel promptly shut his eyes and focused, sifting through his own memory, searching for someone he could express such a strong feeling towards.

His mom? His dad? Gardenia? His friends at Eterna? The Starly he had met just north of Sandgem?

When the Starly crossed his mind, Kendel actually considered the bird for a few moments.

He had to admit, the bird had helped him on his way… but his gratitude towards the bird just wasn't as strong as Kendel would've liked… not for what he was looking to do.

However, the idea of showing gratitude towards that pokemon opened up Kendel's mind to more possibilities. The Graveler he had met at Coronet. Gardenia's Roserade. The Buizel that had opened his eyes more to the glories of nature and the area around Floroma.

Again though, much to his frustration… Kendel found he just couldn't feel the appreciation he would've liked to express upon this rock in any of them. Not even Elisa and her companion, Kale.

Until he came upon the one that he likely would've considered last out of them all.

It was a hard thing to admit when he considered it… but his eyes had been opened more than anything… he was more aware than before…

Kendel sighed, his eyes opening. He took the pebble in his paw, and carefully rubbed the rock across the surface of the stone under him, engraving letters into the rock on a clear space.

As he neared finishing the name upon the rock, Kendel focused his thoughts on what he was grateful for… what the noted individual had done for him. He wanted his own gratitude imbedded into this rock along with everyone else's.

When he had finished, he backed up and looked at his handiwork with a fond and admittedly, somewhat rueful smile on his face.

Then the entire surface of the rock glowed, prompting a yelp of surprise out of Kendel. It wasn't just the rock though, the entire segment of land surrounded by the ocean flashed!

When Kendel opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see flower petals on the ocean breeze.

Then he looked at the land around him and realized why:

The entire peninsula was suddenly and inexplicably covered in flowers, the plant-life swaying gently in the wind. Kendel was immediately reminded of Floroma's grove.

_Where'd all this come from!?_

The peninsula was alive with flowers. The new, lively feel of the area sent a thrill through Kendel's body just looking at it. It felt just as alive as the grove at Floroma and possibly five-times more cheery.

Kendel's eyes were then drawn to something else that was new.

A path of land had appeared, cutting straight through the ocean. The path was just as coated in flowers as the area around the rock. The path appeared to go on endlessly, out into the middle of the ocean.

A corner of Kendel's mind told him that, if he tried to go across, the path could disappear again after or even during the trip across it.

However, the main part of Kendel's mind was intrigued. He felt drawn towards the path. He wanted to follow it. And besides that, he had never seen anything like this before and his adventurous side had been aroused by this occurrence.

He walked over to the edge of the rock and hopped down amidst the flowers, looking at the flora briefly. He then walked over to the path and looked out at the way that lay ahead of him.

He hadn't anything else to do here… and he was intensely curious now.

And so, Kendel walked, leaving the flower-covered bit of land behind to follow this path, wherever it led.


	27. Gateway

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 27: Gateway

It was a long walk… that much could be said as Kendel proceeded along the path that had appeared out of nowhere. It was coated in flowers like the peninsula and Kendel wondered as he walked how far he was going to be going to arrive at his destination.

All that was present were the flowers… and the ocean flowing on either side of the path. It was rather amazing that the saltwater didn't kill the plants, but they seemed to be thriving.

After a good half-hour of walking, something finally showed up on the horizon ahead of Kendel. It was a small mound of land.

As he arrived at the hill in the middle of the ocean, he found even more flowers, many of which were rather exotic breeds that Kendel had never seen anywhere, even at Floroma's grove. And most of all, the island was a vibrant green where there were flower petals. It was all but glowing with life. Plant-life. Stepping onto the island filled Kendel with a very powerful sense of vitality.

He'd never felt so alive anywhere else or under any other circumstances.

"I wondered if you were going to show up."

Kendel looked up and saw Mew hovering around the top of the small hill. He was a little surprised to see the feline again so soon.

Then someone else Kendel couldn't see spoke up. Their voice was soft and polite.

"Mew… give him some credit… you've had your fun now, haven't you?"

Mew glanced down briefly and then looked away in an indifferent fashion.

"Come up here, so we can talk properly, Kendel. Mew's told me about you while we were waiting." The individual called down from the hill.

It obviously wasn't a human being, so it had to be a pokemon, given how Kendel couldn't see them due to the flowers, he also quickly figured that whoever it was, they were roughly his size.

Unsure of what else to do, Kendel headed up the hill to see who was speaking.

When he arrived… he thought he might've been looking in a mirror.

It was another Shaymin, much to Kendel's surprise. However, unlike Kendel, this Shaymin seemed to be a lot calmer. Its expression was serene and composed.

"Er… I thought- what…?" Kendel blurted out in his surprise, prompting a soft, gentle laugh from the other Shaymin.

"Shaymin are not a common species of pokemon. But there are more than one of us. So no need to be quite so surprised." The Shaymin assured him. Judging from the pokemon's voice, Kendel guessed it was female… though he wasn't really sure of himself. Kendel took a moment to collect his thoughts, then asked,

"Where is this? _What_ is this place?"

"This is Flower Paradise." The Shaymin explained, "No humans actually know, but this island is actually a gateway to our homeland… where most Shaymin live. I imagine Mew brought you here, wanting to at least promise you somewhere safer to live… if you _could_ come here." She said.

Kendel blinked as he realized what Mew had actually done.

"Of course, no one is going to force you to come. But just being able to come to this gateway is a blessing in and of itself to most." She added.

Kendel recovered from his mild shock and considered his options.

"Before I go anywhere… can you answer me a few questions about Mew? Starting with why he granted me a wish like this? I didn't know he could do that so I never meant what I had said… and he had no real reason to do it…" Kendel said.

The Shaymin looked up at Mew, who was watching the conversation, but averted his gaze away when she looked up. She smiled in mild amusement.

"Looks as if he won't answer that question himself… so I guess it's up to me to give my best guess as to his motivations." She said, her voice as serene as her expression.

"As I said when you arrived, Mew's told me about you, and from what he said, you recently moved to that settlement known as Sandgem, correct?"

Kendel nodded.

"Mew has actually been watching you for a long time now Kendel… he's been intrigued by your habit for going out on adventure. He really likes your bravery in the face of what you've done before and after he turned you into a Shaymin."

"Do not…" Mew said quietly, with mild petulance. His childish personality showing as usual.

"That day when you saw him for the first time, Mew wanted to get to know what you were like as a human being… and I believe what he saw convinced him to do this." She continued on, paying Mew's commentary little mind.

Kendel gave a very puzzled look, now wondering what he had shown that had prompted the wish-granting.

"As you've probably observed by now, Mew's playful, he likes games and… well, he likes acting like he's only just hatched." she looked like she was holding in a little laughter.

"Why's that?" Kendel cut-in, now curious. The Shaymin tilted her head in a shrugging fashion.

"I suppose that's because it tends to be more endearing to humans… they're drawn in more by his appearance and they see him less as a powerful creature, and more as a playful little cat." She suggested.

Mew, meanwhile was rolling around in the air, playing with his tail and appearing to not being listening now, evoking the very image the Shaymin had just described. Kendel couldn't deny that the feline looked rather cute and more than a little adorable as he rolled around in mid-air like that. If he hadn't felt it before himself in fighting him, Kendel likely wouldn't have guessed Mew had a lot of power at his command. He certainly hadn't the first time he'd seen him.

"As I was saying though," the Shaymin said, getting back to her explanation, "Mew's one for playing around, and that includes pranks."

Kendel caught on almost immediately.

"So this- this was a _joke_ on me?!" Kendel said, looking up incredulously at Mew.

"More than that," the Shaymin said, "He wanted to teach you a lesson, and he wanted you to figure it out yourself. From what he told me, it sounds like you noticed the lesson, but didn't realize it for what it was. At least, not until Mew gave it to you straight, and somewhat harshly, I might add."

"Huh?" Kendel looked at the Shaymin, puzzled once more.

"You needed to learn some gratitude." Mew said, looking at Kendel upside-down from where he was in mid-air, "I told you, didn't I? You take too much for granted. And it looks like you already forgot it too until I reminded you again just now."

A retort got choked off in Kendel's throat. He honestly couldn't deny that he had been taking some things in his life for granted before the transformation.

"I don't think Kendel forgot…" the Shaymin said, an amused smile on her face. It was Mew's turn to look confused.

"Hm? What do you mean, Shaymin?" Mew asked.

"Obviously, Kendel had to have displayed his gratitude for someone upon the entrance stone." She explained, "I personally don't know who, but Kendel certainly didn't take _someone_ for granted."

"Oh…" Mew scratched himself behind one ear with a forepaw, looking a touch embarrassed.

Kendel was also a little red in the face…

"Actually Mew… I… I put your name on there…" Kendel finally admitted.

Mew rolled back through the air like he had been punched in the face.

"What?! Really?" Mew asked, clearly astonished.

Kendel nodded meekly. That was the name he had inscribed on the rock the Shaymin had to be talking about. "Mew".

_Mew helped me to realize how much I had as a human being… he pointed out to me, even if it was in a way I didn't like, how ungrateful I've been for what I have… or had. And he appeared before me, he gave me a new adventure to go on. I had to sacrifice a lot to learn all this but, I suppose it's better that I know it now. Kale saved my life and kept me from dying… but if Mew hadn't made me understand this… I probably would've come to regret something huge later. I'm seeing a lot more value in what I have and have had now. He's done a lot for me... even if he ticked me off in doing it.  
><em>

"I think turning you into a Shaymin like this was also a subtle joke on Mew's part," The Shaymin added.

_Yeah… about gratitude… and Shaymin being a pokemon symbolizing gratitude? Yeah... some Shaymin I am._ Kendel thought guiltily.

"He wanted to cleanse of impurity like we do." The Shaymin finished, laughing gently.

Kendel blinked, confused by this statement.

The Shaymin momentarily looked confused herself at Kendel's expression but then realized,

"Oh! You don't know about that, do you? I guess you wouldn't. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll learn about it quickly." She said cheerfully

"So, do you want to go to where we Shaymin live? You probably won't be returning here again if you do go, but it's up to you. You don't have to go if you don't want to." She said.

_A place where most Shaymin live, huh? Judging from this hill, I bet it's covered in flowers…_

That idea sounded girlish to Kendel… but it also sounded like a beautiful location and if it was like this hill, it would likely be very vibrant indeed. It didn't sound like an unpleasant place to live, especially if he was going to be stuck a pokemon for the rest of his life.

_I doubt I can find a way to get turned back now, since I lost Mew's little game. So… what do I have left in this world?_

His parents wouldn't recognize him, and being there as some sort of pet seemed just… wrong. He didn't want to flee from humans for the rest of his life in Sinnoh either.

_I guess I'll go. I have nothing left for me here. Perhaps I can make new friends and have new adventures over there._

Kendel opened his mouth to speak and voice his decision when Mew spoke up quite suddenly.

"Wait, Kendel!"

He stopped and turned to look up at Mew. The feline looked troubled for the first time Kendel had ever seen.

"Kendel… would you- would you be willing to have one last little fight with me before you go?" Mew asked... and his tone had a very innocent air to it, but it was different from his usual childishness. Kendel was vaguely reminded of an eight-year-old timidly asking to join in a game others were already partaking in. Mew's tone actually felt more sincere.

The request and its tone surprised Kendel.

"Just one last battle?" Mew asked again.

There was nothing to be gained out of beating Mew now, and Kendel had never been the type to plot revenge against others... but Kendel decided:

"Sure, I can do one last fight before I go. I trust it's alright if you wait?" Kendel asked, good-naturedly to the Shaymin.

She smiled and sat down to watch.

###

**_Similar to what I did in Life In Flames with Heatran and his orb. I figured there's got to be something special about Flower Paradise besides the fact that you find Shaymin there in the games. So I decided, it could be some sort of gateway to another realm. ANd what other realm but the one where you find Shaymin normally living?_**


	28. One Last Battle

**_I've got my usual doubts, so I think I'll just be quiet about them and let you readers do the talking in judgement. _**

**_Please enjoy. This story is drawing to a close.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 28: One Last Battle

Kendel looked up at Mew, considering how to start off this final battle.

He opened up with his usual attack: a barrage of the homing leaves. Mew simply took the attack as it came and counter attacked with a psychic attack.

_Hm. Need to do something different or this is just going to be a repeat of events up on Mt. Coronet._

This in-mind, Kendel considered his other abilities. What else had Mew given him in turning him into a Shaymin?

Perhaps it wasn't so odd since he was facing a psychic-type like Mew, but Kendel remembered Cresselia and an ability that all plants had that she had taught him to actively make use of: Photosynthesis.

Kendel had frankly forgotten about it up until now and even if he had remembered it in the previous battle, he had been so determined to end it fast, he likely wouldn't have considered using it then, even as ideal as it was.

He launched another barrage of leaves at Mew and endured the psychic counter-assault. Afterwards, he tried to tune himself into the grass growing on him.

_Need a boost here._

He breathed in deep, willing the process to speed up. After a few moments of absorbing all the sunlight it could in the time he had, the grass-covering on his back obeyed and fed him a considerable burst of energy that quickly rendered the harm Mew had done so far, moot. The pain faded and Kendel felt renewed.

Mew seemed aware of what was going on though and blasted Kendel with a stronger psychic attack.

Kendel responded with an energy ball, gathering it from the plants around him and launching it at Mew, who didn't react in time to avoid it, rolling back through the air to absorb the impact as it caught him in the chest.

The other Shaymin continued to observe the battle as it proceeded, the two combatants exchanging blows back and forth.

The battle promised to be long though this time as Mew occasionally paused in the battle and seemed to take a moment to focus. Following these periods of what appeared to be meditation, Mew seemed to be more energized and his wounds, even as numerous as they became, didn't seem to bother him.

It wasn't long before Kendel realized that he and Mew would be at this all day if something didn't change. In fact, Kendel would fall into the disadvantage once the sun set. He needed to hit Mew harder.

The problem was, he was using the only attacks he knew and they were doing all the damage they could muster. Mew simply kept on focusing away the pain.

_I need a trump card of some sort._

The Shaymin off to the side could see his thoughts in his expression.

"Kendel! Try thinking about what you are more!" she said.

"Hey! No fair!" Mew yelled back.

"You know what you can do a lot better than he knows what he can do. I'm just evening the odds here." She said with a small giggle.

_Well, thanks, but it would help if you were a bit more direct._

Kendel couldn't help feeling a little irritated that she didn't simply tell him what to do in more direct fashion. He needed to figure out what she meant though. So he took a few moments to mull it over.

_Okay then… I'm a Shaymin, right? So, what's that got to do with anything then? Grass-type… I can use photosynthesis to restore myself… I can launch leaves to attack and use energy from nearby plants._

And, Kendel found the Shaymin's last little "fun fact" came to mind too.

_Clean impurities. Alright. What did she mean by that anyways? Er… actually, how the heck would that be useful in a battle? It's not like I'm fighting a Grimer here. This is Mew I'm fighting._

Mew interrupted his thoughts by attempting to slug Kendel straight in the face and he had to duck under the offensive, which he countered with another barrage of leaves, attempting to make Mew back off.

_C'mon, I need more information! What can I do here besides just launch leaves and use energy!?_

"C'mon Kendel! You're actually giving me a good fight. Don't let up now!" Mew taunted him.

Kendel clenched his teeth in mild irritation… and then he heard the other Shaymin giggle again.

"Try relaxing a bit. Think it through more, I'm sure the answer will come to you. You'll feel it." She said.

Relaxing in the middle of a battle seemed highly counter-intuitive to Kendel. It would only make him an easier target for Mew.

_But if she says so… I just hope it works._

So Kendel breathed out, trying to put aside the stress of the battle. Mew pushed his offensive though and Kendel had to concentrate through another mind-blast.

"Try to be like the flowers around you… at peace."

Another bit of advice that seem counter-intuitive to Kendel. Flowers got stepped on. They got their petals plucked off. The only flowers he had ever heard of winning a battle were pokemon like Sunflora and that was a species Kendel had only heard of.

Still, the message she was giving now was clear enough: calm down.

Calming down had never been a strong point for Kendel. He was too energetic to calm down like that, battle or no battle. Being calm generally ended up with ghosts in the Chateau surprising him.

_But this isn't the Chateau… this is a battle with Mew. A friendly battle, but still, a battle._

Kendel tried to collect and compose himself, even as Mew continued to attack. It went without saying, it wasn't an easy task and Mew's pressuring strikes made it difficult to dispel the stress and anxiety of the situation.

_Argh! I need something calming to focus on!_

Kendel sifted rapidly through his own memory, looking for something to calm himself with in this situation. The field of flowers at Floroma? Eterna Forest? The stream near Floroma and its grove?

None of these seemed to be enough though. Thinking on the stream near Floroma actually brought to mind something completely unrelated to what Kendel was looking for.

The old iron-works that that Buizel had more or less over-looked.

_Now, why does that come to mind?_

The answer came soon enough: _Impurities… pollution. Wait a minute… does she mean Shaymin can do __that__ sort of thing?_

It was an interesting concept, but as Kendel exchanged blows with Mew yet again, he couldn't see how this would help him in the fight. Cleaning up pollution was something Kendel had never given much thought but if it was an ability, he guessed it was perhaps something like his ability to sense gratitude.

_I wonder…_

Kendel battered Mew with another volley of leaves and while the feline was taking a moment to focus away his pain, Kendel tried focusing on his instinctual senses. He tried to focus on the air and the environment around him.

After a few second, he found himself sensing small amounts of something odd in the ocean around him… and bits in the air. He wasn't sure what to make of the sensation it left him with, but he quickly guessed it was the traces of pollution to be found in the area, whether that pollution was natural or man-made.

Without really thinking, Kendel reached out and tried pulling the traces closer, like he had with the warmth he had felt whenever he sensed gratitude. He was curious and the fact he was in a battle seemed to slip his mind.

He didn't notice the air flowing inwards towards him, gathering like he was a vacuum.

The traces were drawn to him, powerless to resist his pull and they were gathered amidst the grass upon his back. He tried to get a better feel of what this stuff was like and unconsciously drew even more of the pollution towards himself.

Soon, Kendel found he couldn't detect any more. It was all attached to him. Though he couldn't see himself at this point, the plant-life growing from him had turned roughly the color of the pollution it had sucked in: an oily black. The gathered result of pulling in all the traces of pollution from the area.

_Oh… uh-oh, I'd better get rid of this. It can't be healthy for a grass-type to have this… stuff on it._

Releasing it was something that Kendel didn't want to do, as he imagined it would ruin the area and the other Shaymin present doubtless wouldn't appreciate that. He needed to get rid of it some other way.

With the desire to get rid of the pollution, came an internal energy that arose from within Kendel. It was a cleansing force and he could feel that its purpose was to destroy this impurity he had pulled in.

_I just need to unleash it!_

With some force of will, Kendel somewhat imagined himself pulling the cork out of a bottle and called out that energy within himself. With a yell, he let it loose.

What actually happened, Kendel didn't completely see, but a number of seeds sprouted from his back and popped themselves a short distance into the air. They then _exploded_ with the very energy Kendel was seeking to unleash. The resulting shockwave took Mew by surprise and slammed the psychic-type with tremendous force. It also generated a blinding light.

When the light died away, Kendel felt a little drained and his body was its normal colors again. He had expended a lot of energy in unleashing that blast, more than he had before and more than he had intended to use. The surrounding area also somehow looked even more beautiful as well, all pollution removed entirely. Looking at his opponent though, Kendel realized that he had also hit Mew, quite hard.

The cat had been knocked to the ground.

"Ow… that hurt." Mew moaned. He got up, slowly and Kendel could tell he was actually hurt. It was no minor injury.

"Er, are you okay?" Kendel asked, concerned. He had done all that purely by accident.

"Yeah, I've been through worse." Mew said, shaking his head hard, "I- I think I'll concede defeat this time around."

Kendel blinked, surprised.

"I actually win this time?"

_Why couldn't this have happened in the previous battle?_

Mew looked away, looking a little ashamed, an expression which seemed odd on his face. After a few seconds, he looked at Kendel again.

"I know you already gave up our game earlier Kendel… but, if you want, I could turn you back…" Mew finally admitted, hesitantly. This left Kendel stunned yet again.

"Really?"

Mew nodded, and looked away again, a sad expression on his face. Or was it a different emotion?

Once the astonishment was past, Kendel quickly found himself getting excited. He could finally get turned back… he could finally go back to his human life.

But as he looked at Mew, Kendel had to ask: "What's wrong?" He had never seen Mew looking so depressed before.

Mew closed his eyes in a contemplative manner.

"I lied… I lied about granting your wish. I suppose _I_ was the one wishing back there... wishing I could make you more like me." Mew said sadly.

"Huh? What do you mean by that? You did do what you said right? That's what turning me into a pokemon was all about, correct?" Kendel said, now confused.

Mew shook his head though.

"There are too many things you have, that I don't. You could never be like me, because of your experiences… what you've felt , what you have, and what it's like to have some of those things. Those are things I cannot know and you can never be like me while you have them, even if you were to forget."

Kendel tilted his head, still perplexed.

Mew sighed, shaking his head again.

"Just promise me… promise me you'll have better gratitude for what you have. Now, do you want me to turn you back? Or are you actually happier the way you are?" Mew said, and Kendel got the distinct impression Mew was trying to change the subject… or move past it quickly.

Doubtful that he would be able to get Mew to say what was really on his mind, Kendel focused on the question being presented to him: did he really want to go back to his human life?

Kendel looked over at the other Shaymin.

"It's up to you which way you go. I can see you're a good person at heart though, whether you're human or pokemon." She said.

Kendel smiled appreciatively. He was actually curious about this homeland of hers, but it was likely that he couldn't enter if he was human. If he wanted to go there, he would have to stay as he was.

_There's too much I leave behind if I can choose to be human again and I turn it down. I need to return home… to my real home at Sandgem._

He looked over at Mew. _ He wants me to be more grateful for what I have? I'll make sure I do. Starting with taking those things back._

"Mew… I want to return home as a human again." He said firmly.

Mew drifted close. "_Alright. This'll be the last time I speak with you like this. G'night."_ Mew's voice echoed in his head. Then Mew placed a palm on Kendel head and he instantly blacked out.

-0-

Mew looked up after he had sent Kendel away, back home. He looked over at the Shaymin watching events with her demure expression.

"Envious of what he has, Mew?" she asked, her tone not unkind. Mew simply looked away again, his expression unreadable and vanished from view without a word.

"Only natural I suppose… the kinds of feelings that Kendel knows are unique." she then silently gazed out at the ocean, "It's little wonder you wanted him to try being in your position."

###

**_The move is called "Seed Flare" for a reason. I'd thought I'd also pull a little from PMD: Explorers of Sky. Given how in that game, the Shaymin performs the "cleansing" ability tells everyone to get down before unleashing it, I figured that Seed Flare is that cleansing ability. And if it isn't... well, Artistic License... not like my story is canon._**


	29. Emotions of Home

**_More like an Epilogue really... but anyways, it's about time I ended this story.  
><em>**

**_If there's something I could add to improve this chapter, don't hesitate to give me suggestions.  
><em>**

**_Enjoy.  
><em>**

Land & Skye: Living a Legend

Chapter 29: The Emotions of Home

When Kendel became aware again, he could still hear the ocean, and he wondered if perhaps he would have to make his way home again. He was assuming that Mew had kept his word and he was human again. He remembered everything in detail.

He opened his eyes and raised a hand to his face… it was a human hand.

He couldn't hold back the relieved sigh that came out. It was good to see he was human again.

Looking around, and at himself, he saw he was on a beach and it had to be Sandgem's beach. He recognized the surroundings. He was also dressed as he had been before Mew had transformed him.

Kendel got up, a little awkward on his legs after so long of crawling around the relatively-stumpy legs of a Shaymin. He swayed a little, taking a moment to get used to balancing himself again. Being human practically felt like a fresh, new experience to Kendel after just a week or so as a Shaymin.

_Amazing how fast I got used to walking like that…_

After another minute or two of working his legs and briefly getting used to the action of walking on two legs again, Kendel walked towards Sandgem Town, his hands out, ready to catch himself if he tripped as he certainly felt prone to doing right now. He reached the edge of town, feeling breathless from tension, but his legs felt right again. He could walk without too much trouble.

It went without saying, when Kendel saw his parents again, both sides were relieved and happy to see each other again. After all, it wasn't like Kendel's time away from home had been reversed. Time hadn't been turned back. He had vanished for a whole week and his mother was in tears. His father tried to hold back the tears as well, but it wasn't long before both parents had embraced Kendel, thankful for his return.

When he couldn't explain why he had been away, Kendel was grounded, but this was nothing new to him and, if he were honest, he rather relished the experience this time. It added a level of familiarity into his life… it made him feel like who he was again: he was human, had a family, and was with them once more.

Kendel couldn't tell anyone about his adventure without rather sounding ironic. "Oh, I just spent a week as a Shaymin." It really did sound like a joking response and Kendel was often asked afterwards "What's the real reason?" at which point, he simply waved off the question, giving up trying.

True to his word, Mew never showed up in Kendel's life again, though the feline did watch from afar at times, seeing if Kendel had changed fully and completely.

The young man still spent time at the beach, but more of his time was spent looking around the area, examining even the small details and looking for those beauties of nature he had seen around Floroma. There wasn't anything quite like what he had seen at the flower-quilted settlement, but there were unique little wonders around Sandgem and Kendel sought them wherever he could find them.

He also spent more time watching pokemon out in the tall grass. There wasn't much to see, but Kendel found a new interest in the lives and how battles carried on between pokemon.

About a month later, Kendel had his grounding lifted, and he decided to set out to the nearby lake. He wanted to see something for a whole month now.

It wasn't long before he was at the edge of the lake and he looked out over Lake Verity, spying the cave in the middle.

Without further ado, Kendel dove into the water and surfaced. He had been practicing swimming around at the beach whenever he had gotten the chance (though, with how he had been grounded, this hadn't been frequent) and he was confident in his ability to swim once more.

He then swam towards the center of the lake, avoiding local water-types as he was only human now. After years of exploring the Chateau though, and then a week as a Shaymin, this was no challenge for Kendel.

He heaved himself up out of the water and took a moment to get some of the excess moisture off, before he stepped towards the cave and went inside.

Deeper down, it was quiet in the cave and it wasn't long before Kendel reached the bottom, under the lake and, much like up at Lake Acuity, the cave floor was positively coated in water though there were dry zones on the ground.

Kendel stepped forward, looking around… the lone resident of the cave soon came out of the shadows of the cave and greeted him with its presence.

It didn't surprise him that this pokemon looked much like Uxie and Azelf. Teal… tassle-like tails… a diminutive body. This psychic-type had a head that was a shade of red nearing pink and several tendrils extending down along the back of its head, giving it an appearance akin to that of a headdress or perhaps dreadlocks. It's eyes were also open, displaying golden eyes that almost shined as they looked at Kendel, giving him a clear sense of curiosity about his visit and who he was.

"Um, hi…" Kendel said, a little awkwardly as the pokemon approached him. He had no idea of the name of the pokemon and simply asking its name wouldn't get him an answer in English, though any answer would probably answer that question, pokemon being what they were.

It did answer, in a questioning tone. He gathered from this that its name was Mesprit, and he guessed from the tone that she (at least, he thought it was a "she") was asking why he had visited.

"I… I just thought I'd visit. I met two friends of yours about a month back. I'd also heard about you before then… so I was kinda curious." Kendel continued, still feeling a little awkward, this time because the conversation felt strangely one-sided. Afterall, he knew she would understand him… but he wouldn't be able to understand Mesprit.

She giggled and said something else, a smile on her face, before drifting around Kendel, examining him.

As she came to a halt before Kendel again, Mesprit spoke more and Kendel found himself wishing he could understand.

_Being a Shaymin did have its advantages._

However, Kendel discarded these thoughts and gave Mesprit a rather pained smile.

Mesprit took one look at that smile and burst out laughing again but she soon reined it in again and then looked Kendel directly in the eyes, a gentle smile on her face. A moment later, a definite alien force struck Kendel's mind. It wasn't aggressive or violent nor did it hurt, but it threw Kendel for a loop and he had to focus to keep from staggering as a flood of his own emotions expressed themselves in his mind for no clear reason, one at a time over a few seconds.

After those first few seconds, the emotions calmed and Kendel felt an out-of-place pleasure. He wasn't sure how he knew, perhaps it was just instinct, but it felt like the sort of pleasure from meeting someone new.

Kendel locked eyes with Mesprit again and so he soon realized she was the source.

_Gah… I really do not like Psychic-type pokemon… I kinda wish they'd keep out of my head… heavens knows Mew hung around it long enough._

Mesprit apparently picked up on his irritation as a moment after these thoughts, Mesprit backed up a little like she had been repulsed and looked rather sorry.

"Er- I probably should be the one saying sorry…" Kendel spoke up as he saw this. She looked up again as he said this and smiled, that same appreciation on her face as before.

Kendel spent a few more minutes taking part in this awkward conversation, then he decided to head out, giving the resident a friendly goodbye as he left.

As the years went by, Kendel visited Mesprit every now and then, particularly when he was feeling frustrated. He wasn't sure why he visited her during those times, but she helped ease his frustration and his sadness, whatever the reasons may have been.

She was a source of comfort for him when his parents couldn't provide.

He grew up more… gaining a great appreciate for nature and what it could provide for itself as well as its residents.

In time, Kendel took up a career as a pokemon researcher. He wished to look into pokemon… and he intended to do it all without needing to take them out of their places of living.

His experiences gave him a natural understanding of pokemon that most others couldn't understand… though there was one trainer who did…

He always would tell people: "I guess I just have a feel for what it's like to be one." Then he'd just laugh.

**-The End-**


End file.
